The true origins of the bronze sculpture, the Pisa Griffin, are unknown. Riebold Denton and DiYanni (2005, p. 380) explain that ôScholars have suggested that its provenance might be Persia, in the east, or perhaps Spain, in the West.ö What is not in dispute is that the Pisa Griffin once sat atop the Pisa Cathedral. This sculpture is symbolic of many things no matter which culture created it, but it is also illustrative of how different cultures often appropriated the art of other cultures and invested it with their own values, symbols, and beliefs.
The Pisa Griffin is a bronze sculpture of more than three feet in height. As Jellicoe (1992, p. 4) describes it, ôMonumental and fearsome, the griffin stands rigid, its rounded chest and body, curled-back wings and beaked head covered in zones of textile-like feathering, scales and bands of Kufic lettering, with a tear-drop design on the legs portraying birds and animals in a scrolling surround.ö The Pisa Griffin was thought to be a spoil of war, placed atop an Italian cityÆs cathedral in order to demonstrate the monumental strength and courage of the Italians.
Yet the Pisa Griffin is a sculpture that exhibits characteristics of other regional styles, and no one is certain of its exact origin. Despite this mystery, the Griffin is symbolic to many cultures. As Riebold Benton and DiYanni (2005, p. 380) suggest, ôA favorite symbol of both the Assyrians and Persians, the griffin was said to guard the gold of India, and the Greeks believed these creatures watched over the gold of the Scythians.ö The Pisa Griffin is symbolic of a cultureÆs need to express its courage and independence, something fearsome but at the same time protective. In The Greek Way, Edith Hamilton (1958, p. 21) maintains of the Greeks that ôa high-spirited people full of vigor do not obey easily.ö As such, the griffin is representative of this strain of character from Gree
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