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Source Description
This bird-like head and neck, with sharp beak and tongue, belongs to a griffin, a fantastic bird/lion hybrid prominently found in both Greek and Near Eastern artwork. Often, as here, the griffin has large upright ears (probably feline, in keeping with its lion body) as well as a knob-like projection atop its head. The scaly neck terminates in a flange once pierced with holes for connection to the shoulder of a large bronze cauldron, which would have been ornamented with three or more such griffins.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
108980
label
Griffin Protome
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
108980
contentType
object
title
Griffin Protome
description
This bird-like head and neck, with sharp beak and tongue, belongs to a griffin, a fantastic bird/lion hybrid prominently found in both Greek and Near Eastern artwork. Often, as here, the griffin has large upright ears (probably feline, in keeping with its lion body) as well as a knob-like projection atop its head. The scaly neck terminates in a flange once pierced with holes for connection to the shoulder of a large bronze cauldron, which would have been ornamented with three or more such griffins.
date
625–575 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80001056
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 13.9 cm (5 1/2 in.)
cul
Greece, Ionian
accession
1927.146
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Griffin Protome, 625–575 BCE. Greece, Ionian. Bronze; overall: 13.9 cm (5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, 1927.146
collection
GR - Greek
didYouKnow
Fossilized <em>Protoceratops</em> dinosaur bones may lie behind the eagle/lion form of the mythical griffin.
citations
citation
Benson, J. L. 1960. “Unpublished Griffin Protomes in American Collections.” Antike Kunst 3 (2): 58–70.
page_number
Pl. 2.6.
creditline
The Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:49:38.802000
sourceId
108980
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4e70e2f9a59048a7