MORE GRIFFINS

 MORE GRIFFINS

Whether the Griffin is depicted in Near Eastern Greek Roman or later art it is consistently shown with a slender feline body often described as leonine though some look more feline and whether or not it has wings a raptors head BUT WITH A CREST . 

One theory is that someone saw a fossil of a crested dinosaur or perhaps a bone deposit of several fossils tangled together but whatever started the stories the griffin is certainly one of the most striking creatures we have legends about and artistic depictions!

Here's some more Griffin art!

Here's a Persian frieze in which the Griffin has horns and a lions face rather than a crest.

More typical of Middle Eastern art was this ivory fragment.

Finally something Hellenic.

This griffin has a rather dragonish crest but the distinctive erect ears and beak and the artist has also included a sphinx and a leopard for contrast or as a complement.

 

Dionysius and Ariadne

 Dionysius and Ariadne 

#dionysius #ariadne #bronze #relief

Here is an excellent example of the sort of ancient art work that influenced not just Renaissance art but also Baroque with its fluid curves and emotional expression.

The composition is both simple yet complex as the longer one studies it the more and more of the details there are to delight in such as the bending of the knees or the drapes or their stance mirrored in each figure  ! 

A small exquisite masterwork !