Pair of Protomes Depicting the Forepart of a Griffin, 625-575 B.C.Bronze with bone or ivory inlay1:

Pair of Protomes Depicting the Forepart of a Griffin, 625-575 B.C.Bronze with bone or ivory inlay1: 20.3 x 7.6 x 7.6 cm (8 x 3 x 3 in.); 2: 21.6 x 8.3 x 7 cm (8 ½ x 3 ¼ x 2 ¾ in.)Greek, probably SamosDescription: “The great holy sites of ancient Greece, such as the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and the Heraion of Samos, functioned as repositories for gifts brought by believers seeking divine favor. The most impressive of these offerings were large bronze cauldrons, which were set on a conical stand or tripod base and embellished with cast-bronze attachments like these two griffins. These beasts, facing outward, would have been fastened to the vessel by means of the rivets still present on their collars. This hollowcast pair is remarkable for the superb quality of their craftsmanship, their condition, and their partially preserved inlaid eyes.A mythical creature revered for its protective powers, the griffin combined a feline body, an avian head, and tall, horse-like ears. It has been argued that the beaked Protoceratops dinosaurs that once roamed Central Asia were the iconographic inspiration for these ferocious beasts. Travelers may have seen the fantastic fossilized remains of the dinosaurs and then created stories to account for them. Meanwhile, local inhabitants may have spread tales about their ferocity as a way to discourage marauders from looting their wealth. These two griffins are highly agitated; their mouths are agape and their tongues curl up as they screech bloodcurdling warnings to ward off intruders.The iconographic inspiration for the ferocious griffin (a feline creature with a beak), which the Greeks revered for its powers of protection, was probably the fossilized remains of four-legged, bird-beaked dinosaurs that once roamed Central Asia. Traders and others may have come across them in their travels around the Gobi Desert. Having no knowledge of the paleontological past, they created a story to account for the strange creatures. These two griffins were once riveted to the shoulder of a ceremonial vessel that sat atop a three-legged stand. It was placed in a religious sanctuary by a prosperous Greek as a demonstration of his piety and a display of his wealth.”Source: Art Institute of Chicago         -- source link

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