Griffin Protome from a Cauldron

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Griffin Protome from a Cauldron

Place of OriginGreece, probably from Samos

Dateabout 600 BCE

Dimensions5 3/8 × 2 3/8 × 2 5/8 in. (13.7 × 6 × 6.7 cm)

Mediumbronze

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1980.8

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

Label TextA fantastical creature, the griffin is usually represented with an eagle’s head and wings, snake’s neck and tongue, hare’s ears, and lion’s body. The Greeks believed griffins lived far to the north and east, building nests near sources of gold that they guarded fiercely. This griffin protome (bust) would have been one of several that were originally attached to the shoulder of a large bronze cauldron that in turn rested on a bronze tripod. Commissioned by wealthy individuals, these cauldrons were among the most valuable gifts dedicated to the gods at sanctuaries throughout Greece.Published ReferencesThe Museum Collects: Treasures by Sculptors and Craftsmen, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 1980, pp. 6-7, repr. p. 6.

Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, The Toledo Museum of Art, 2009, repr. (col.) p. 69.

Exhibition HistoryToledo, The Toledo Museum of Art, The Museum Collects: Treasures by Sculptors and Craftsmen, December 7, 1980 - January 25, 1981.

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art; Tampa, Tampa Museum of Art, The Fire of Hephaistos: Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections, 1996-1997.