The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Guardian Griffin
1150–1175
Overall: 75.9 x 50.2 x 120.7 cm (29 7/8 x 19 3/4 x 47 1/2 in.)
Location: 106B Romanesque & Gothic Sculpture
Description
Griffins are fabled creatures that have the characteristics of an eagle and a lion--combining watchfulness and courage. In Christian art, the dual nature of the griffin was often used to signify that of Christ himself: divine (bird) and human (animal). Griffins were often used as guardian figures in church sculpture and were placed in portals and choir screens. The creatures seen here, with their inward-turning heads, were certainly used for such a purpose. When viewed from the front, one griffin may be seen protecting the figure of a knight between its paws, while the other griffin guards a calf. Their original function was probably to support the columns of a porch in front of a church doorway.- said to have come from the residence of a Cardinal Leona, east of Bologna.
- The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 56 archive.org
- Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 7-October 6, 2019).CMA 1991: "Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum (Cleveland, OH, The Clevleland Museum of Art), cat. p. no. 25.
- {{cite web|title=Guardian Griffin|url=false|author=|year=1150–1175|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.861.1