medium bronze helmet with griffin crest

Height: 22cm Width across face: 14cm Depth from back of crest to tip of nose piece: 24cm

The prototype for these glorious helmets is the plain, uncrested Corinthian style of the 6th century BC. Originals of these can be seen in museums across the world. Those in the Goulandris Collection in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, and in the Museum of Ancient Olympia are the inspiration for this collection.

The motifs on the crests are either geometric designs or symbolic creatures.

Original helmets are much thinner and lighter than these, and the largest 'life-size' copies are also smaller than the circumference of today's average male head. They are most definitely not to be worn! Where mounted, they are on a marble base.

Symbol of wealth and prosperity and guardians of prized possessions. The mythical griffin had powerful wings, the body of a lion and the beak of an eagle.

Griffins were sacred to Apollo, whose treasure they guarded. They are also associated with Dionysos, as the guardians of his ever-flowing supply of wine.

Bronze cauldrons set on tripods or conical stands were among the most spectacular votive gifts dedicated in Greek sanctuaries from the eighth to the sixth centuries BC. A cast bronze griffin head, called a protome, often formed part of the decoration of these cauldrons.

Over six hundred such bronze griffin heads are on display in museums all over the world. Many have been found at the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and at that of Hera on Samos.

The bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted on a marble base, it will be a black or very dark grey base. There may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time.

It's All Greek is proud to have been working with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege to handle these gorgeous pieces and to sell them to customers all over the world.