Near Eastern Griffin

GRIFFIN IN IVORY  

The images of griffins in Mycenaean Greek Persian and other art had prototypes in works like this.

This is a fragment of a larger item but we can see the leonine or feline tail the avian beak and crest and the plumage of the wings. Check my prior post and wait for the next ones to see other Griffins. 

A MINOAN GRIFFIN

A MINOAN GRIFFIN 

#griffin #minoan #Larnax 

The Griffins from the Knossos Throne room for various pieces of century or seal rings are better known than this work which is somewhat less refined.

 It makes me think of some later Protgeometric and Geometric period art. The wings however instead of being furled or seen in profile are spread up and down across the clay panel which is one side of an larnax. The idea of the griffin being near a plant in bloom is very Minoan and we can see an avian crest and a tapered beak plus a leonine tail. This shows us how far back stories about griffins existed. 

THREE SPHINXES

 THREE SPHINXES

I've arranged these in chronological order to illustrate style changes 

Archaic

CLASSICAL 

Roman Empire 120 AD

Greek Alphabet on a Bowl

 GREEK ALPHABET ON A BOWL 

#greekalphabet #ceramics 

I was actually looking for examples of early Greek inscriptions and came across this.

Our modern "Classical" forms took an while to become the standard forms of written Greek!

That Archaic Smile

 THAT ARCHAIC SMILE 

doesnt appear only on freestanding statues.

This youth's image is carved onto the side of a memorial stele.

 Scroll down for further close-ups and zoom in for a view of the small girl who accompanies him.

He seems to be holding a flower and definitely is carrying a small container perhaps of oil slung from one wrist.

Notice how the rough strokes of carving still visible in the background bring further emphasis to the polished smoothed facial features?  There does not seem to be any traces of painting though apart from the pupil of the eye and that could simply be texture or grain of the stone? 

I hope you have enjoyed this Archaic Smile series? 

The Smile of a Sphinx

 THE SMILE OF A SPHINX 

#sphinx #archaicsculpture #greeksculpture #archaicgreekart 

Its Not only Maidens and Youths who have THAT smile in Archaic Greek ART.

This statue is the top part of an Archaic Attic Stele (I'll show you the lower part in the next post) and the slender feline proportions and pose of the lower body suggest the  sculptor seems to have seen a cat (then an exotic import) about to bring upwards. Note the distinctive Archaic Smile. The lack of plumage yet detailed carving of the face suggests also the sculptor wanted onlookers looking upwards to notice the smile ? Such elegant refined curves!

The stele was discovered broken into pieces and this is a museum reconstruction.

Next post will include closeups of the youth below.

The Archaic Smile - FOUR

 The Archaic Smile - Four 

The notes to this museum image clim its though to be the head of a sphinx but does not say why?

Sphinx woman or goddess she has that Archaic Smile.