id: 110240
accession number: 1928.861
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1928.861
updated: 2023-03-04 09:29:42.471000
Guardian Griffin (pair), 1150–1175. Northern Italy, Emilia, 12th century. Pink limestone (called "Verona Marble"); overall: 75.9 x 50.2 x 120.7 cm (29 7/8 x 19 3/4 x 47 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1928.861
title: Guardian Griffin (pair)
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1150–1175
creation date earliest: 1150
creation date latest: 1175
current location: 106B Romanesque & Gothic Sculpture
creditline: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
copyright:
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culture: Northern Italy, Emilia, 12th century
technique: pink limestone (called "Verona Marble")
department: Medieval Art
collection: MED - Romanesque
type: Sculpture
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Overall: 75.9 x 50.2 x 120.7 cm (29 7/8 x 19 3/4 x 47 1/2 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders
opening date: 2019-07-07T04:00:00
Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 7-October 6, 2019).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
said to have come from the residence of a Cardinal Leona, east of Bologna.
date:
footnotes:
citations:
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fun fact:
According to medieval bestiaries, griffins could tear a man to pieces and carry a whole bovine away, as seen here.
digital description:
wall 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 clutching the figure of a knight between its paws, while the other griffin holds a calf. Their original function was probably to support the columns of a porch in front of a church doorway.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
C. L. Ragghianti, "Sculpture del Secolo XII a Ferrara, 1," Critica d'Arte, XLII, n. s. fasc. 154-156 (JulyDecember 1977).
page number: pp. 53-54, figs. 21-22.
url:
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page number: Reproduced: p. 56
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n76
Cahn, Walter, and Linda Seidel. Romanesque Sculpture in American Collections. New York: B. Franklin, 1978.
page number: no. B III 14, 163-65
url:
Bocchi, Francesca. 7 colonne e 7 chiese: la vicenda ultramillenaria del complesso di Santo Stefano in Bologna : Museo civico archeologico. Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna: Grafis, 1987.
page number: p. 160
url:
Turner, Evan H. Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
page number: no. 25
url:
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1928.861/1928.861_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1928.861/1928.861_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1928.861/1928.861_full.tif