GRIFFIN
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The griffin, usually a hybrid of a lion and
an eagle, has its predecessor in Mesopotamia in the Imdugud which consists of a bird with a lion's head. This
fabulous being appeared at the end of the 4th millennium BC. and it is the opposite of a griffin that has
the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As a
direct precursor of the griffin is to regard the falcon-lion consisting of
the body of a lion and the head and wings of a falcon. This form occurred in
Egypt. Examples are on the Queen Mereret breast jewel that was given to her
by Senusret III (1878-1841BC). [1] The combination of the head and
wings of a bird of prey and the body and legs of a lion is therefore now at
least 4000 years old. In the oldest examples from Greece (15th century BC),
the body and the legs are of a lion (or of a feline) and the head and wings
of an eagle (or a bird of prey).
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Also in
the empires of Babylon, Susa and Assyria, many animal hybrids are found to be
the source of later fabulous animals. In the example of Susa (6th century BC)
from the Louvre, only the hind legs and wings originate of the eagle, the
rest is a lion body and head but with ram horns. Furthermore, there is no
real griffin in Mesopotamia. Later Greek and Roman griffins always have head,
wings and forelegs of an eagle and the lion's body. The head of a griffin is
distinguished by two pointed ears. Herodotus (*490-†420 BC ca) is the first to mention
griffins: “The story is that the one-eyed Arimaspians steal the gold of
griffins who guard it; Personally, however, I refuse to believe in one-eyed
people who in other respects are like other people. [2]
Plinius the Elder (23-79)
(Book VII) writes about griffins: “A griffin is as usually reported , a kind
of wild animal with wings that digs for gold in tunnels. Griffins guard the
gold and the Arimaspi try to get it, both with remarkable greed.” [3] Medieval sources are always based
on this story. [4] Several
discoveries in the 6th century BC scythian kourgans indicate that a griffin was an early military symbol.
For example, there is a staff crested with a griffin standing in a square
frame and this can certainly be the top of a command line. In Persepolis a
sheath of a dagger was depicted with two griffins. This weapon is carried by
the officer responsible for the weapons of Darius I (521-486). Torques whose
ends end up in griffin heads are also offered by Lydians on a frieze in
Persepolis, to King Xerxes I (485-465), which could indicate that the
griffion belonged to the Hittite than to Persian culture. [5] From the Hellenistic world, the
griffy also reached Rome. For example, griffins are also documented on the
Kuras of Trajan and that of Septimus Severus. [6] From these pieces of equipment it
could be noted that the Griffons are the symbol of the tribunals, the
Tribunus Maior and the Tribunus Minor who, according to Vegetius, jointly
commanded one legion. In the Byzantine armies, griffians could agree with the
rank of brigadier general, either the commander of a half theme or turmoil.
Both the East and the West are examples of griffians known that can only be
associated with very senior officials. For example, King Harald Blauwtand of
Denmark performed a griffin in the 10th century. [7]A griffin also used Bishop Suidger
of Bamberg, an important client of Emperor Henry II. [8] And later Rainald van Dassel,
Chancellor of Frederik Barbarossa. Griffons are mainly derived from Italy and
especially from the kingdom of Sicily under the Hautevilles. There are also
many fragments of silk fabrics adorned with griffins and these can only
belong to high-ranking persons because of their costlyness. Unlike
the lion and the eagle, the griffin was not canonized by Augustine. His place
is taken in the ecclesiastical symbolism by the bull of Persian origin. In
the line of the evangelists' symbols, this is the symbol of Luke. In heraldry
the bull is mainly found in Eastern Europe within the former cultural sphere
of influence of the Kelts The 11th
century “Elwanger Glosse” thinks: “Grifes:
grifen, hoc genus anim. in
hiperboreis montibus nascitur.” (Hyperborei = legendary people in the
very north). Wolfram von Eschenbach (ca.1170 - ca.1220) Parc. 71 vs. 17 - 25.: "mit golde er gebildet was daz zer muntâne an Kaukasas ab einem velse zarten grîfen klâ, diez dâ bewarten und ez noch hiute aldâ bewarent von Arâbî liute varent: die erwerbent ez mit listen dâ (só tiwerz ist
ninder anderswâ) und
bringentz wider z Arâbî" Almost at
the same time of the fall of Emperor Frederick II the griffins disappears
from the heraldic repertory and are exchanged by several other beasts and
crosses. Simultaneously literature about griffins develops.using ancient
sources. This explains
the fact that in de Sachsenspigel (1220-‘35) the griffin on the place of the
second Heerschild is missing . [9]
Heidelberger
Sachsenspiegel fol 1 r: Lehnrecht Universitätsbibliothek,
Heidelberg In the
left upper corner the shields of the Heershilde
from right to left: 1. eagle; 2 bishop; 3. lion; 4. arbitrary beasts (fishes);
5. complicated divisions (barry); 6. simple divisions (fesses) 9b.
Griffin kiling pig St. Peters Bestiary fol 37 v. 1232 St Petersburg Narional Library The tale of the griffin repeats the story told by Isidor
/ XII.11.17/ whose version takes rise from Pliny /VII.12: X.49. 70/. Of the
antique sourses Herodotus is known to be the first to mention it /III.116/. Of the old French bestiaries only 13th century
Pierre of Beauvais mentios the griffon /II.1226/. He repeats the story
byIsidor, Preudo-Hugh /III.4 / and the bestiaries. Albert the Great (~1200-1280) (De Animalibus) / XXIII. I.46/ who places the griffon in
the section about birds, believed that the tale was merely an ancient legend,
thus dubting the existence of the real griffin. Conrad von Megenberg (ca. 1350):
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Provincial governors Already
in Republican times, certain provinces were reserved for ex-consuls. This tradition
carried into the Empire following the division of the provinces into Imperial and Senatorial in 27 BC. Of the latter, two were
specifically reserved for consulares, the proconsular provinces of Asia and Africa
proconsularis.
Consulares could also hold office in Imperial provinces as the Emperor's
delegates (legatus Augusti pro praetore), alongside senators who had not advanced
beyond praetor rank or equestrian governors, who were styled procuratores. There was no fixed system of appointment
for the Imperial provinces, but those where more than one legion was garrisoned usually received a governor
of consular rank.[1] As the
formal title of legatus Augusti did not distinguish between holders of
consular and praetorian rank, the former occasionally attached the form
consularis to their title, a practice which became commonplace in the 3rd
century. As a result, the latter, simpler title began to replace the formal
title, and to acquire a generic meaning of
“provincial governor”. This evolution was formalized in the reforms of
Diocletian (r. 284–305) and Constantine the Great (r. 306–337). Aside from
its traditional meaning, designating holders of consular rank, the term
consularis now came to designate a class of provincial governors. Its holders
outranked the correctores and praesides, but were still at the very bottom of the
senatorial hierarchy, with the senatorial rank of vir clarissimus, while a holder of consular rank was styled vir
illustris. In
a handful of cases, serving consulares were raised to proconsular rank, while
Valentinian I (r. 364–375) and Valens (r. 364–378) gave the consulares of Numidia the exceptional right to be preceded by six instead of five fasces-bearing lictores. According
to the Notitia Dignitatum (circa 400 AD), the following provinces were
administered by a consularis: In fifteen provinces
in the Eastern
Roman Empire five in the Diocese of the East: Palaestina Prima, Phoenice, Syria Prima,
Cilicia
Prima and Cyprus three in the Diocese
of Asia: Pamphylia, Hellespontus
and Lydia two in the Diocese
of Pontus: Galatia and Bithynia two in the Diocese
of Thrace: Europa and
Thracia three in the Diocese
of Illyricum: Creta (Crete), Macedonia
and Dacia
Mediterranea the Diocese of Egypt—sui generis as the imperial
crown domain—is explicitly said to have none In twenty-one
provinces in the Western
Roman Empire one in the Diocese
of Pannonia: Pannonia Secunda eight in the two Italian dioceses: Venetia et Histria, Aemilia, Liguria, Flaminia et Picenum Annonarium, Tuscia et Umbria, Picenum
Suburbicarium, Campania
and Sicilia two in the Diocese
of Africa: Byzacena and Numidia three in the Diocese
of Spain: Baetica, Lusitania, Gallaecia (Carthageniensis, Tarrconensis:
no consularis) six in the Diocese of Gaul: Viennensis, Lugdunensis
Prima, Germania Prima, Germania Secunda, Belgica Prima and Belgica Secunda two in the Diocese
of Britain: Maxima
Caesariensis and Valentia The Notitia gives the following staff (officium) For a consularis
of the West: princeps officii (detached from the praetorian
prefecture), a cornicularius, two tabularii, an adiutor, a commentariensis, an ab actis, a subadiuva, and various exceptores and
cohortalini, i.e. menial staff. For the East, the officium was slightly different: princeps officii, cornicularius, commentariensis, adiutor,
numerarius, ab actis, a libellis,
and the usual exceptores and cohortalini.
The Synecdemus, written some time shortly before
535, lists the following provinces under consulares:
Europa, Thracia, Macedonia Prima, Creta, Epirus Nova, Dacia Mediterranea, Hellespontus,
Phrygia
Pacatiana and Phrygia
Salutaris, Lydia,
Pisidia, Lycaonia, Pamphylia, Lycia, Caria, Pontica Prima (Bithynia), Galatia, Cappadocia Prima, Helenopontus, Cilicia Prima, Cyprus, Syria
Prima, Phoenice, Palaestina Prima, Arabia, and one whose name is illegible. Following the reconquest of North
Africa, in 534, Tripolitania was given a consularis, while Numidia was downgraded to a mere praeses.
However, in 535 Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) carried out a
wide-ranging administrative reorganization. The provinces of Palaestina
Secunda, Syria Secunda, Theodorias, Osrhoene, Armenia Secunda, Armenia Magna, Cappadocia
Secunda, Rhodope, Haemimontus and Augustamnica (this is
possibly an error) were placed under consulares, while Epirus Nova, Dacia
Mediterranea, Phrygia Pacatiana, Galatia, Syria Prima and Arabia were placed
under governors of other ranks. The christian archdioceses of western Europe
were in many cases a continuation of the roman provinces created after the reorganisation
of the Empire by Diocletian, to which the northern and eastern christian
dioceses were added. These provinces had been governed by proconsuls, consuls, praeses, correctors,
duces and comes. Their credentials are represented in the famous Notitia
Dignitatum and consisted of a document and a book containing their mandate. In the
Notitia Dignitatum there is no trace
of any badge of rank of an animal kind. On the other hand there were
apparently animal badges of military rank of which the eagle was associated
with a high military rank of consul or
commander of two legions. Also, a pair of griffins was worn by the commander
of the first maniple of the first cohort of the first legion. A lions’
head was worn by the hornblower of the legion. In Roman times a horn was blown by the tubicines and the cornicines who blew horns of different shape like these
hornblowers on the column of Trajan (98-117). Publius Vegetius (late 4th
century) devotes a short section to the function of these hornblowers in his Epitoma rei Militaris. [11] This in fact is the only proof of a
badge of office of the roman Legions. On the other hand many examples of
lions are found from the roman era. Vegetius however does not mention badges
of rank at all. Also
several statues of Roman generals from the Roman Empire before the
reorganisation of Diocetian, wear body cuirasses decorated with pairs of
griffins. Later, the griffins disappear and were replaced by christograms
which were painted on warrior shields and also on other media. |
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Metropolitan The chief of the clergy was the bishop, who was placed over a diocese - parochia, as it was called in the
Merovingian period. Theoretically there were as many bishops as there had
been civitates in Roman Gaul, but the
principle was not rigorously carried out.
The power of the bishop was very great. All the clergy of the diocese
were under his control. Above the bishop was the metropolitan. With a few rare exceptions, the metropolitan
had his seat at the chief town of the Roman province. In the course of the
fifth century, the province of Vienne was cut in two: there was one
metropolitan at Vienne, another at Arles. The latter annexed to his
jurisdiction the provinces of the Alpes
Maritimae (Embrun) and or Narbonensis II (Aix). Thenceforward twelve
metropolitan sees were distinguished: Vienne,
Arles (+Embrun & Aix), Treves, Rheims, Lyon (to which was united Besancon), Rouen, Tours, Sens, Bourges,
Bordeaux, Eauze and Narbonne. The
metropolitan had the right to convoke provincial councils, and presided at
them. He exercised a certain oversight over the bishops of the province, and
it was to him that it naturally fell to act as judge among them. His title
was simply that of bishop: the title archbishop does not appear until quite
the end of the Merovingian period. The authority of the metropolitans was
subordinate to that of the Frankish Church as a whole, which had as its
organs the national councils. These councils were always convoked by the
king, who exercised much influence in their deliberations. We have the
cannons of numerous councils held between 511 and 614, which give us a mass
of information regarding ecclesiastical organization and discipline. These
canons are not much concerned with doctrine; they recall the clergy to their
duties, safeguard the property of the churches against the covetousness of
laymen, and censure pagan customs such as augury and sortes sanctorum.
Memorial stone with bust between griffins, 7th. cent.. From Gondorf (NRW). H. 84 cm Bonn, Rheinisches
Landesmuseum 35.10 The stone of Gondorf is the reason for a hypothesis that the most
important religious officials (metropolitans) like the bishops of Trier, Cologne
and Mayence were, had a griffin for badge of rank (or office). Proofs are
from the 12th century archbishops of Aachen and Cologne. Another bishop in
Germany having such a badge was the exempt bishop of Bamberg, the later Pope
Clemens, who was presented by Henry II with official dress decorated with
griffins (1007). This
occurred within the frame of the Ottonian-Salian Imperial Church System which
gave clerics considerable secular power. See: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottonisch-salisches_Reichskirchensystem |
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As a
compensation for the support of the king the bishops received augmented
secular power. The bishops had had the traditional privilege of Immunity and
since Otto I (936-973) they were
given Regalia and countal rights in their residences and in the territories
dependend from them. As a compensation the bishops and Imperial abbots,
belonging more and more to the class of the Imperial Princes, had to perform
the servitum regis, the imperial
service which cannot exactly be estimated. In any case it consisted of
lending hospitality by priority to the travelling royal court (Gastung), the
detainment of contingents for the Imperial Army and diplomatic and
administrative services. Therefore the emeperor was interested in influencing the election
which he confirmed with the investiture with ring and staff. In the
light of the feodality this practice had a decisive advantage: as the secular
vassals were alway keen on making their fiefs hereditary property this was
not the case with bishops and abbots who had no legal offspring and whose
fiefs therefore fell back to their suzerein after their death. A condition
however was that the emperor had the ecclesiastical supremacy and this was
not obvious at all. In Western Francia for example, the king could only
dispose of but a third of the dioceses in the 10th and 11th century. The rest
was controlled by his vassals. In
Eastern Francia the situation became about the same: At the start of the
reign of King Henry I the Fowler, the father of Otto I, in 919, the tribal
dukes of Bavaria, Swabia and Lorraine had been given, amongst others, the
right to appoint the bishops of their realm. In particular this is true for
Henry I himself who had, as a duke of Saxony, turned the dioceses in his
realm into a kind of Ducal church. In the following years he used his
stronger position to make the
investiture a royal privilege again. This is the more striking as he allowed
the dukes a certain measure of autonomy. He may therefore have been convinced
about the importance of the control over the dioceses. Hoewever the Ottones
had complete control over the dioceses in the empire only after the death of
Duke Arnulf of Bavaria in 937 and the deposition of his son. To be
sure of loyal clerics on the offices falling free, the emperors often elected
members of the Royal Chapel. This practice goes back to Charlemagne, and the
same was practized in other european kingdoms. After the
policy of Otto I of granting the bishops more secular power, particularly in exchange for military service, griffins appear more
and more in connection with archdioceses and dioceses. An early example being
the act of marriage of Otto II and Theophanu in 972.
Auch For
example the archdiocese of Auch
(879) comprised the former province of Novem
populana with the capital of Ausci. L’archevêque d’Auch avait le titre de primat de
Novempopulanie comme celui de Lyon portait le titre de primat des Gaules. Le diocèse d’Auch hérite du titre de
Métropolitain en 856, après le saccage de la ville d’Eauze. Mais le premier
évêque d’Auch apparaît vers 280. La liste des archevêques d’Auch voit des
personnages prestigieux, de nombreux saints et de nombreux cardinaux. L’archidiocèse d’Auch dégageait après
Strasbourg, Paris et Cambrai le plus de revenus annuels, dus à une dîme
importante. Apart from the lords and lordships in Gascogne (Æ
Auch) which had coats of arms there
was a single official for all of Gascogne which had a heraldic emblem of ancient
origin. This official was the archbishop of Auch who had the status of
Primate of Gascogne. The first having this status was Archbishop Airardus in 879. As a metropolitan see by the 9th century
Auch had ten suffragan sees: Acqs (Dax),; Aire; Lectoure; Couserans; Oloron,
Lescar, Bayonne; Bazas; Comminges Tarbes. Generally
the emblem of rank of a metropolitan bishop was a griffin which was borrowed
from the roman duches or officials of the second rank having
the jurisdiction in a Roman province as Novem Populana was one. Such a
griffin has not yet been found in Auch itself as the Auch cathedral was
restructured in the 16th century. Griffins however are known from
Oloron cathedral from one of the suffragan sees of Auch. [5] In the roman portal of that cathedral is an achievement of a
bearded man supported by two griffins which could be the bishop of Oloron
supported by the metropolitan archbishop of Auch. In any case this
achievement symbolizes that Oloron belongs to the archdiocese of Auch.
Achievement of a man supported by two griffins. Sinister smaller tympan on Oloron, St Mary Cathedral The tympan
is dated around the second decennium of the 12th century Jacques Lacoste proposed to date the beginning of the
realization of the sculptures of the main tympanum to the second decade of the
12th century. He sees a kinship with the ivory reliquaries of San Millán de la Cogolla, that of San Millán made around 1060, and that of San Felices dating
from 1090. The
province of Narbonensis I with the capital Narbonne came back into the
archdioceses of Toulouse and Narbonne. From
several of these provinces griffins are preserved for example from Bourges,
the capital of Aquitania I A griffin was a
preferred emblem of French and German Metropolites and can also be found on
the British Isles. Later it was also adopted by some German secular princes After the
beginning of the 13th century the griffins disappear from the clerical
heraldic repertory even when some of the prince-bishops retained their armed
authority. Probably
the use of the griffin goes back to roman times when it was a badge of rank
of an official ruling a diocese.
Archdioceses in Europe From: Westermann: Grosser
Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, p. 88 See also: France Provinces To prove
this theory we can try to find the griffins of the archdioceses of Trier, Cologne, Mayence, Magdeburg, Hamburg, Lund, Uppsala,
Trondheim etc Reims,
Rouen, Sens, Lyon, Besançon, Vienne, Tarantais, Tours, Bordeaux, Auch, Toulouse, Narbonne, Arles, Aix,
Embrun, Milan &c&c And in
Italy: Grado. Aquileia, Venice etc |
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The Collection |
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Gold Seal of a Griffin. 1500-1400 BC, from Pylos. Width
3.5 cm National Museum Athens. This griffin has, after the Egyptian example, the body of a lion and the head and wings
of a falcon
Ivory pyxis
(cosmetic-box) carved
from a cross-section of a tusk from a tomb at the Agora of Athens of the fourteenth century B.C. A
development of the decoration shows a lively scene of griffins hunting deer.
Crouched near the top rim are two small lions, seen from above. H. 16 cm.
Stoa of Attalus Museum, Athens. |
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Two Griffiins trampling their ennemies From
Nimrud, 7th c BC |
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Suse. Epoque achémenide, fin 6e s. av. J.-C. Griffon. Palais de Darius. Panneau de briques
émaillés. H. 1,45 m.
Louvre. Département
des Antiquités orientales.
Phrygian Shield. 6th cent. BC. Kidney-shaped shield with griffin
6th century BC Head of
a griffin from a kettle. Bronze. H.: 35,8 cm Olympia, Greece Found 1937-’38. Museum Olympia. Lullies/Hirmer Griekse Kunst 5 Griffin heads on the
headdress of a horse Wood Æ
12,7 cm. Kourgan 1 of
Tuekta, Altaï mountains Excavation
Rudenko 1954 Museum the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Inv.
2179/79 Scytian-Siberian animal style 6th cent. B.C. eeuw v.C. Griffin head (Harness ornament) Wood. H. 5,5 cm W. 5 cm. Kourgan 1 of Tuekta,
Altaï moutains. Excavation Rudenko 1954 Museumt he
Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Inv. 2179/109 Scytian-Siberian animal style 6th cent. B.C Griffin head
(Harness ornament) Wood. H. 6,5 cm W 7 cm. Kourgan 1 van Tuekta, Altaïgebergte. Excavation Rudenko 1954 Museumt he
Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Inv. 2179/96 Scytian-Siberian animal style 6th cent. B.C. |
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Fragment of a saddle-cloth: Griffin Felt, 35 Î 45 cm. Kurgan 2 of Pazaryk,
Altaï mountains. Excavation Rudenko 1947. Inv. 1684/325. Scytian-Siberian
animal style, 5th century BC. |
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Herodotus (*490 -† 420 ca) is the first who
mentions griffins: [12] “But in the north
of Europe there is by far the most gold. In this matter again I
cannot say with assurance how the gold is produced, but it is said that one-eyed
men called Arimaspians steal it from griffins. [2] But I do not believe this,
that there are one-eyed men who have a nature otherwise the same as other
men. [3] The most outlying lands, though, as they enclose and wholly surround
all the rest of the world, are likely to have those things which we think the
finest and the rarest.”
(90) Stone seal with griffin Engraving
probably made by a pupil of Dexamenos of Kos Chalcedoon. H. 1,7 cm B. 2,2
cm. Kurdzjips-kurgan, Krasnodar, Kuban. Excavation Sjsojev 1886 Museum The Hermitage, St.
Petersburg Inv. n° 2495 /7 Greek, late
5th cent. BC. |
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Head of a bird, Gold. Ziwiya treasure
(Kurdistan, the ancient country of Manai.) Fifth century bc. Height: 3 1/8
“. Archæological
Museum, Teheran. The Ziwiya
treasure was at first believed to have been buried in the eighth century BC
but according to Barnett the vat in which it was found belongs to the seventh
or even the fifth century bc. |
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Xerxes I |
485-465 |
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A frieze of
tribute-bearers decorates the monumental stairways leading to the Apadana at
Persepolis. Judging by their head-dress they might be Lydians, former
subjects of King Croesus, whose capital was Sardis. |
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(86) Griffin crest
of a staff Bronze, H. 15,5 cm Kourgan of Alexandropol
(Dnjepropretovsk) Excavation Teresjtsjenko, 1853 Museum the Hermitage, St.
Petersburg Inv. DN 1853 1/3 Greek-Scythian, 2nd half 4th
cent. B.C. Walking griffin within a rectangular frame.
From the base of a leafy pattern two bells are hanging. The piece is one of a
pair. Two plaques
decorated with griffins. Gold, 5´5, cm. Mixed art of Taman, end of
fourth century BC. From one of the Five Brothers barrows (Rostov-on-Don).
Excavations by V.P. Shilov, 1959. Regional Museum of Rostov-on-Don.
Griffin killing a hind Detail of the ovoid amphora from Chertomlyk
(4th century B.C.). Silver gilt, with relief carving and
engraving; heighth 70 cm, Æ 40 cm.
(92) Decorated bracelet Gold and garnet. . H. 19,3 cm
Weight. 463,56 g. Beslenyev-kourgan n° 17 Krasnodar OblastExcavation
Veselovski 1895. Museum the Hermitage, St. Petersburg Inv. n° 2519/6. Greek,
late 4th- early 3rd cent B.C. The
function of this band is unknown. Beautifully modeled pairs of figures of
lions and eagles on the lower and upper register This may be the arm-protector of an archer. |
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Praetor Praetor, was a title granted by the government of
Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of
an army (in the field or, less often, before the army had been mustered); and
as an elected magistratus (magistrate), assigned various duties (which varied
at different periods in Rome's history). The functions of the magistracy, the
praetura (praetorship), are described by the adjective: the praetoria
potestas (praetorian power), the praetorium imperium (praetorian authority),
and the praetorium ius (praetorian law), the legal precedents established by
the praetores (praetors). Praetorium, as a substantive, denoted the location
from which the praetor exercised his authority, either the headquarters of
his castra, the courthouse (tribunal) of his judiciary, or the city hall of
his provincial governorship. The badge of office
of a praetor was a griffin. |
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Griffin on paleochristian sarcophagus. Latium,
350-360 AD Marble, 65.8´70´212 cm, 945kg. ROL,
inv. Pb 35 |
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Memorial stone with bust between griffins, 7th.
cent.. From Gondorf (NRW). H. 84 cm Bonn, Rheinisches
Landesmuseum 35.10 This may
be an early portrait of a bishop
of Cologne having te usual holy bible in his hand. On his shoulders are
pigeons symbolizing a religious office (?). The clipeus is supported by four protomen
of griffins which may indicate his military rank. |
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Gold vessel from Nagy Szentmiklos (West
Transylvania), 9th cent (?) Griffin killing stag Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. On one of the vessels in the hoard there is an inscription written in the Greek alphabet which reads: ΒΟΥΗΛΑ.ΖΟΑΠΑΝ.ΤΕΣΗ.ΔΥΓΕΤΟΙΓΗ.ΒΟΥΤΑΟΥΛ.ΖΩΑΠΑΝ.ΤΑΓΡΟΓΗ.ΗΤΖΙΓΗ.ΤΑΙΣΗ (Transliteration: bouēla zoapan tesē dygetoigē boutaoul zōapan tagrogē ētzigē taisē ) The
language of the inscription is not clearly known. While there is no consensus
as to the meaning of the inscription, several translations have been
suggested (see the
article on the inscription) and there is general agreement that Buyla and Butaul are Turkic names or titles, and
that they are associated with the title of župan.(administrator) [13] |
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Harald I Fairhair |
King of Norway 858-928 |
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The badge of office
of an archbishop is a griffin
Griffin
on the Cross of St. Matthew. The cross, once erected in front of the abbey
church of Iona (Scotland) but now in the museum there, dates certainly from
the 9th-10th century and must be associated with the Empire of the Isles
under the suzerainty of the Norwegian King Harald I the Fair (858-928). His
military symbol, a griffin, is probably on this stone. On the other side is
the ship that later appears in the coat of arms of the Lordship of the
Islands. Other candidates however are the abbots of Iona from the 9th and 10th
century [14] |
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Harald I Bluetooth
of Denmark |
940 - 986 |
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Memorial stone of King Harald in
Jellinge (Jutland). On the stone of Jellinge from the
time of Harald I (after his baptism in 960) there is a lion on the front. The
text on the stone reads: "King Harald had these memorials erected for
Gorm, his father, and Tyra, his mother, the Harald who united Denmark and
Norway and converted the Danes to Christianity." On the side with the
griffin is the part of the text with "completely and Norway". On
the third side of the stone is a crucifix. (Oxenstierna p. 175 fig 73) At this time a lion may have been the
distinguishing sign of a comes in the Byzantine army, a
commander who had an army division of 500 to 200 men under his command. A
similar figure, dating from half a century later, has been found in London on
the St. Paul’s Rune Stone. It is not
clear why Harald opted for a lion, while he as well could have chosen for an
eagle, which would correspond more to his royal rank, or even a
dragon. See for this: Norway. 960:
Baptism of Harald) On the
third side of the stone is a crucifix. It thus remains obscure with which the
figure must be associated (viz. With Denmark and Norway, with Gorm or with
paganism. ðaccording to the theory with a commander of a
turmos (5000 men), so with Gorm. ð also: Wenden). |
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III.16 Theophanu's marriage certificate. Medallion with griffin and
lamb. Germany (?), 972. Parchment,
madder and indigo, black pen drawing and gold writing. Detail approx. 20 ´ 20 cm On the occasion of his wedding on 14 April 972, Otto II, with the
assistance of his father, Emperor Otto I, gave his wife a morning gift as a
widow's property, including all of Istria, Walchern, Nivelles Abbey, five
royal estates and 14,000 Hufen land. In the same document medallions with a lion and a bull. (Otto der
Grosse, Magdeburg 2001. pp. 127 u.f.) |
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Griffin. 10th-11th. Century. Transenna Panel A. Byzantine, 10th
-11th century. Marble 90 ´ 72 ´ 8 cm. Provenance: Reused in the sanctuary screen of the katholikon of Vlatadon Monastery. The Holy Monastery of Vlatadon, Thessalonike, Greece (MB 93). (Orthodox Archdiocese of Thessalonike)
(Evans, 36-37) |
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Six plaques depicting fantastic animals, from a
casket. |
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Bamberg |
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1020 ca Tunica of
Emperor Henry II (1014-1024) 1st quarter of
the 11th century. Gift of the emperor to Bamberg Cathedral. Diözesanmuseum Bamberg. The breast patch and the cuffs and lower border
decorated with medallions with griffins of gold brocade on a red background. On 1
November of the year 1007, King Henry II (Emperor from 1014 onwards)
succeeded in winning the consent of his 35 bishops, who had been convened by
him, on his long-cherished plan of founding a bishopric of Bamberg. Queen
Kunigunde, who was present, renounced her dowry of Bamberg, which was to
ensure her care as a widow, in support of the new bishopric. Even today, the
motivation of the royal couple is controversially discussed. Thus, because of
its childlessness, God should be made its heir. This religious motive,
however, is probably accompanied by political considerations for the
strengthening of the Imperial Church. In addition, a rapid assimilation of
the Slavs settling here could be brought about by the Franconian colonization
of the Upper Main Valley region. It was also easy to fill the vacuum of power
produced after the disempowerment of
margrave Heinrich von Schweinfurt. In the
run-up to the Synod, King Henry already had made himself sure of the consent
of Pope John XVIII. (1003-1009). Bishop Henry I of Würzburg (996-1018) had to
renounce large areas in favor of the new bishopric; he never received the
assured archbishop's dignity, but it went to Bamberg eight hundred years
later in the reorganization of the Bavarian bishoprics. The king, however,
compensated Bishop Henry materially and thus ensured peace. Beginning
on 1 November 1007, a synod was held in the city of Frankfurt am Main. Eight
archbishops and twenty-seven bishops were present, led by Archbishop Willigis
of Mainz, as well as the King of the Romans, Heinrich II (Henry II). The king
intended to create a new diocese that would aid in the final conquest of
paganism in the area around Bamberg. But the territory of the Wends on the
upper Main, the Wiesent, and the Aisch had belonged to the Diocese of
Würzburg since the organization of the Middle German bishoprics by St.
Boniface, so that no new diocese could be erected without the consent of the
occupant of that see. Bishop Henry I of Würzburg was willing to go along with
parting with some of his territory, as the king promised to have Würzburg
raised to an archbishopric and to give him an equivalent in Meiningen. The
consent of Pope John XVII (1003-1009) was obtained for this arrangement, but
the elevation of Würzburg to an archbishopric proved impracticable also due
to Willigis' reservations, and Bishop Henry I at first withdrew his consent. Nevertheless,
after several further concessions, King Heinrich II obtained the consent for
the foundation of the diocese of Bamberg from parts of the dioceses of
Würzburg and - later – the Diocese of Eichstätt. Bamberg was made directly
subordinate to Rome. It was also decided that Eberhard, the king's
chancellor, would be ordained by Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, to be the head
of the new border area diocese. The new diocese had expensive gifts at the
synod confirmed by documents, in order to place it on a solid foundation. Henry
wanted the celebrated monkish rigour and studiousness of the Hildesheim
cathedral chapter - Henry himself was educated there - linked together with
the churches under his control, including his favourite bishopric of Bamberg.
The next seven bishops were named by the emperors, after which election by
the cathedral chapter became the rule, as in all the German
prince-bishoprics. Eberhard's immediate successor, Suidger of Morsleben,
became pope in 1046 as Clement II. He was the only pope to be interred north
of the Alps at the Bamberg Cathedral.
On the Imperial Synod of 1007 in Frankfurt, Emperor
Henry II brought about the formation of the new diocese of Bamberg from parts
of the dioceses of Eichstätt and Würzburg
Shroud of
Liudger, detail Eichstätt. Kirche St. Walpurgis. Schatzkammer. Grabtuch Liudgers
Ausschnitt Seidendamast, byzantinisch, frühes 11 Jaht (Aufn 1956) + 1 o43 537 Griffins are also on the upper and lower
bordure of the Bayeux Tapestry
reporting a happening of 1066. (8, 10, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, &c) |
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The Taifa Era |
1031-1071 |
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Pisa Griffin. Taifa period,
11th century. Bronze. h. 107 cm. Museo dell’Opera
del Duomo, Pisa. “This puzzling sculpture, which probably
served as decoration for a fountain, has been attributed variously to Fatimid
Egypt, Fatimid North Africa, Spain, Sicily, and Iran. The route the griffin
traveled in order to reach its resting place atop the cathedral in Pisa is as
mysterious as its place of origin. In 1839, in the first scholarly article
published on the griffin, J.J. Marcel recorded Pisans’ ideas on the subject.
According to one of their legends, the Pisan armies had brought it home as a
booty when they returned from their conquest from the Balearic Islands. It
was said that the triumphant soldiers arrived in Pisa with their treasure at
the moment the foundations of the cathedral were being laid. [...] Whatever
its origin, this impressive bronze was probably installed atop the cathedral
during the late eleventh or early twelfth cetury; it remained in its place of
honour until 1828. “The inscription, which merely conveys good
wishes to an unspecified owner, does not help to resolve the question of the
griffin’s provenance. It does however, indicate that the sculpture was
secular in nature. It reads (in translation from the arabic): Perfect blessing, complete well-being
(left side); Perfect joy, perpetual
peace (chest); Perfect health,
happiness [support] for the owner. (right side).” The
statue can be compared to other city images such as the Capitoline she-wolf,
the lion of Venice, the elephant of Catania, the Salamanca Bull and the
Brunswick lion and therefore probably fulfilled the same function i.e. as a
symbol of the place of the city in the imperial hierarchy. However, under
Frederick Barbarossa, the symbol of Pisa became an eagle and later the coat
of arms of Pisa is a white cross on red. Therefore, the Pisan griffin soon
faded from attention It unites
three lofty symbols: an eagle on the hind legs, the griffin of the image itself and a lion on the front legs. The
combination of the griffin, the lion and the eagle is evidence that in Spain
in the Taifa period, when the former Umayyad empire was fragmented after the
deposition of the last caliph, Hisham III in 1031, the martial symbols
persisted to exist. The griffin is to be regarded as the symbol of the
governor or prince of the Balearic Islands who were independent under the
Banu Ghanyia from 1076 to 1115 (in that last year they were conquered by Posa
which maintained hegemony until 1184) |
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150 Textile fragment
from the Reliquary of Saint-Siviard. Byzantine, 11th-12th century. Silk and gilded
membrane 89 x 135 cm. Provenance: Reliquary of
Saint Sivard, Cathedral Treasury, Sens. Trésor de la Cathédrale de
Saint-Étienne, Sens, France (B 8) Sens was the capiyal of the roman province
of Lugdunensis II (cap. Senonia) later the archdiocese of Sens. Griffins, mythical beasts of
antiquity, occur very frequently in Byzantine art. Whatever their ancient
significance, in the Middle Ages griffins served a predominantly decorative purpose,
although, like lions and eagles, they continued to be emblematic of power and
might. [15] The present silk comes from
the reliquary of Saint Siviard (d. 687), whose remains reached Sens in the
ninth century from Saint-Calais in the Maine, which was threatened by the
Vikings. The relics were certainly rewrapped on that occasion; eleventh- and
twelfth-century tags indicate subsequent openings of the reliquary, when
rewrapping in the griffin silk could have taken place. [16] Although this
textile survived wound around relics, its first use in the West was likely as
an ecclesiastical vestment. |
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185 Bowl with Griffin Attacking a Doe. Byzantine, 12th
century Engraved
slipware: earthenware and glaze H. 8,5 cm. Æ 24,3 cm Provenance: from an unspecified shipwreck Dumbarton Oaks,
Washington D.C. (66.17) |
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219 Ceramic Tile A. Griffin Kievan Rus’
(Halych), 12th century. Red clay, 15 ´ 15 ´ 3 cm provenance: Excavated in Zolotyi Tik, on Krylos Hill in Staryi Halych (the present-deay
village of Krylos in western Ukraine), 1951. L’vivs’kyi
Istorychnyi Muzei, L’viv, Ukraine. lim kr 15842. |
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Fresco with
griffins. Baptistère St. Jean de Poitiers.
The shape of the wings
and the qualitry of the paintng point at a date of origin in the 11th-12th
cent. |
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4I.
DUNCAN (FERGUS 1, GILBERT 2) m.c.1200
AVELINA, d. of Alan Fitz-Walter, High Steward
of Scotland He was created Earl of Carrick by Alexander II
between 1225 and 1230 on condition that he resigned all claim to the lordship
of Galloway. The descendants of Duncan and his son Neil took the same of de
Carrick. His seal, as attached to various original charters, bears the device
of a griffin.(3)
Duncan's Seal, 1250 Figure: Griffin Legend: X SIGILLVM DVNCAN FILII
GILLEBER |
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159 Rainald
von Dassel als Reichskanzler (1156-1159/1167) Wachssiegel auf Urkunde (durchgedruckt) Wohl 1156 unter verwendung einer antiken (?) Gemme. Æ 4 cm, Æ des Intaglios 2,5-2,8 cm, rund. Braunes über weißem
Wachs mit starkem Wachsrand (Æ 6,8 cm) an roten
Seidenschnüren. Figur: Greif.
Umschrift: X reinaldvs romanor(um) impe(er)at (oris) cancel(larius). (Z.d.S.) |
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Foto H.d.V. 2006.08 Griffin on the
façade of the Duomo S. Martino, Lucca. Completed 1241 The first
bishop of certain date is Maximus, present at the Council
of Sardica (343).
At the Council
of Rimini (359), Paulinus, Bishop of Lucca, was present. In 981 Emperor Otto II, bestowed on its bishop civil jurisdiction
over the entire diocesan territory; but in 1081 Emperor Henry IV made it a free city and conferred
other favours upon it, especially in the way of trade. |
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Dans le
transept sud de l’église de St Yves de Louannec (Bretagne):
9) Dans
la vitrine, la « Chasuble de Monsieur Saint Yves » date du 12ème
siècle. Cette « planeta » ou chasuble ample dans la forme du
Moyen Age est faite d'une étoffe mi-soie, mi-lin entremêlés de fil d’or. Les
motifs griffon, arbre de vie et rosette, sont d'origine hispano-mauresque. "La
coupe du vêtement indiquerait une date antérieure à la vie de saint Yves
(1253-1303). La soierie qui a servi à sa confection fait partie de ces
mi-soies (soie et lin) que l'on attribue aux ateliers hispano-mauresques ou
siciliens du XIIème siècle. Chasuble cloche à décors de griffons affrontés en
larges bandes horizontales. Le motif même du griffon, animal fabuleux,
mi-aigle, mi-lion, de l'Hom ou arbre de vie et de la rosette qui remplissent
les vides entre chaque animal appartiennent au répertoire oriental diffusé
ensuite dans le monde méditerranéen. La robustesse du tissu, le hiératisme de
ses figures évoquent les costumes de parade des princes et chevaliers ". ...........D'ailleurs,
une disposition spéciale adoptée par le concile mérovingien de Tours en 567 y
rappelle la subordination des évêchés bretons à l'archevêque métropolitain de
Tours. L'évêché de Dol fera
sécession en 848 avec la création de la province de Dol, contestée par Tours.
Cette province de Dol subsista jusqu'au XIe siècle et le
conflit fut définitivement réglé au profit de l'archevêque de Tours par le
pape Innocent III en 1199. |
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In 1174
the abbey of Monreale was declared a prælatura
nullius; two
years later its abbot was vested with the title and jurisdiction of a bishop.
In 1182 Monreale became the metropolitan see for the diocese of Catania and
diocese of Siracusa. At first the archbishops were elected by the monks, but
were not always Benedictines; since 1275 the election has been reserved to
itself by the Holy See.
1186 Onderste cassettes van de bronzen toegangsdeuren van de Dom van Monreale. Linkerdeur met leeuw en griffioen. De bronzen deuren werden gemaakt en gesigneerd door Bonanno Pisano in 1186.De deuren werden in Pisa gegoten en over zee naar Sicilië gebracht waar ze na verdere bewerking in het portaal werden afgehangen. De griffioenen en leeuwen corresponderen met de griffioenen en leeuwen op de zoom van de alba (1181). Misschien zijn de deuren een geschenk van Frederik Barbarossa want zijn zoon Hendrik VI huwde op 27 januari 1186 met de zuster van Willem I, Constance (dus een tante van Willem II). 1186 Onderste cassettes van de bronzen toegangsdeuren van de Dom van Monreale. Rechterdeur met griffioen en leeuw. De bronzen deuren werden gemaakt en gesigneerd door Bonanno Pisano in 1186. Naast de leeuw komt ook de griffioen als symbool in verband met de Hautevilles voor. Hij staat op de bronzen deuren van de Dom van Monreale (1186), op het plafond van de Zaal van Roger in het Koninklijk Paleis en op de deksteen van de tombe van Frederik II.[17]) Er is een hoofdstukje aan de griffioen gewijd in het Saltykow-Chshedrin Ms. Leningrad Public
Library Ms. Lat. Q.v.VI. English Bestiary of the end of the 12th cent. The tale of the griffin repeats the story
told by Isidor /XII.11.17/ whose version takes rise from Pliny / VII.12:
X.49.70/. Of the antique sources Herodotus is known to be the first to
mention it /III.116/.
Fragment of a relief with a Griffin End XIIth century (?) Greece, Marble, 60 x 38 x 5,3 cm. Horizontal
fracture at half height, vertical fracture in the lower part (set up and held
together by metal dowels) Origin :Athens, end XVIIIth
century Paris. Musée du Louvre, Département des
sculptures, Inv. MR 666 |
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Baptistère St. Jean de Poitiers
Frescoes
with griffins. An eagle medallion is also part of the frescoes. The fresco
can be dated to the time when Otto IV was Roman King, Count of Poitou and
Duke of Aquitaine. |
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Wilhelm von Querfurt |
1194-1213 |
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100 Wilhelm von Querfurt, Propst des Marienstiftes in Aachen (1194/97-1213) Wachssiegel an Urkunde (anhängend). Aachen, vor 1197. Æ 5
cm; rund. Braunes Wachs an roter Seidenschnur. Vorzüglich abgedrückt und
erhalten, nur Wachsrand teilweise ausgebrochen. An der Urkunde außerdem das
3. Siegel des Aachener Marienstiftes. (Ewald, Rhein. SiegelIV, 1,7) Figur: Greif mit hase. Umschrift: X • SIGILLV(M) D(E)I GR(ATI)A • WILHELMI
AQVE(N)SIS P(RÆ)P(OSIT)I •. Als Nachfolger seines Bruders Konrad von
Querfurt, des späteren Bischofs von Hildesheim und Würzburg und
Reichskanzlers Heinrichs VI. und Philipps von Schwaben, war Wilhelm Probst in
Goslar und zwischen 1194 und 1197 auch in Aachen geworden. Düsseldorf, Hauptstaatarchiv, Urk. Aachen Marienstift Nr. 28: 1213. (Z.d.S.) |
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Sebastocrator Kaloyan |
|
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Portrait of a sebastokrator,
probably Alexander From: Niketas Choniates:
Historia. (Constantinople, 1st half 14th century) Hofbibliothek Wien, Cod. hist. gr. 53. Fol. 291 v°. This leaf represents an offcial dressed in a purple himation Byzantine style, decorated
with large medallions enclosing white griffins surrounded by five foxes
pursuing each other. The official wears a crown with one large gem, as was
worn by sebastokrators in the 12th
and 13th centuries. The griffins are the badges of office of the
governors of the (former) roman provinces, Dacia mediterranea with its capital Serdica (Sofia) being one of
them. The meaning of the foxes or quadrupeds is not known but very much later
such a fox was a beast associated with Bulgaria and Slavonia. [18] The hypothesis that the badge of rank or office of
Alexander was a griffin is supported by some other items from the beginning
of the 13th century also representing
a griffin. The first is a stone slab from ‘central Greece’ showing a griffin within
a medallion. Two
images are known that may be a portrait of Kaloyan from the period when he
did not yet bear the Latin title of king but was a Byzantine sebastokrator. 1. Niketas
Choniates: Historia. (Constantinople, 1st half 14th century) Fol. 291 v °.
Hofbibliothek Wien, Cod. hist. gr. 53. This sheet represents a prince dressed
in a purple himation with large medallions on which a white griffin
surrounded by five chasing foxes. The monarch is crowned with a diadem with
one large stone, a diadem worn by sebastokrators in the 12th and 13th
centuries. The
person portrayed is commonly identified in literature as Emperor Alexios V
Dukas Murzuphlus, the last emperor before the fall of Constantinople in 1204.
However, the portrait is so similar to an identifiable portrait of Kaloyan
that it is undoubtedly depicting the same person. This is the portrait of
Kaloyan and his wife Desislava in the Church of St. Nicholas and Pantelimon
in Boyana, painted in 1259. The
resemblance is so great that the images must either be painted over from each
other or go back to the same source. The large
medallions on Kaloyan's robes indicate a very high position in the Empire,
possibly that of Viceroy of Thrace (prefect of Illyricum). |
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Konrad von Querfurt |
*1160 ca-†1202 Royal chancellor 1194-1201 |
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|
Chasuble A chasuble is preserved in the treasury of
Aachen Cathedral on which golden griffins and lions are embroidered on a blue
background. The shape of the animals corresponds to that of the lions and
griffins on the doors of the Duomo of Monreale. The tendrils motif is very
similar to the tendrils on other Sicilian garments. Apart from this, the
established opinion is that the mantle has a strong Byzantine character. Why
the mantle is dated to the second half of the thirteenth century and not to
the twelfth century is because it is thought that it has belonged to the gift
of Richard
of Cornwall to Aachen Cathedral. The silk may have been taken from
Palermo by Henry VI and may have been given to Konrad of Querfurt, Chancellor
of Henry VI and Philip of Swaben, Imperial Envoy and Bishop of Hildesheim.
and Würzbug († 1202) and ended up in Aachen (1198). The Byzantine cut of the piece may be
explained by his office as a General envoy for Apulia, Italy and
Sicily.(1196) Konrad von Querfurt (*around 1160; † 3 December 1202
in Würzburg) was an important church prince of the late 12th century. He was
Bishop of Hildesheim (1194–1199) and Bishop of Würzburg (1198–1202) and
served two kings as Chancellor (1194–1201). On the
Sicily campaign of Henry VI. in 1194 his chancellor Sigelo died and Konrad,
once one of the emperor's tutors, was appointed as his successor. The
following year Konrad was also elected Bishop of Hildesheim. In 1196
the emperor appointed him general legate for Apulia, Italy and Sicily. He
played a key role in the enforcement of Hohenstaufen rule in southern Italy
and Sicily. At his instigation, Petrus de Ebulo wrote his Liber ad honorem Augusti sive de rebus
Siculis, the illustrated verse epic in which the events are depicted and
the merits of Konrad are appropriately appreciated (cf. the illustrations in
the only manuscript Bern, Burgerbibliothek Codex 120 II, fol.139r; fol 144r;
fol.145r). In the
middle of 1198 Konrad met in Thuringia with Philipp von Schwaben, the brother
of Heinrich VI., who had been elected king by the Staufen party in the double
election of 1198 and who confirmed him as Chancellor. A minority chose the
Guelph Otto IV On 3
December 1202 he was murdered in Würzburg by Bodo von Ravensburg and Heinrich
von Falkenberg on the way to the cathedral. A griffin was also on the seal of Wilhelm von Querfurt, Dean of the
Foundation of St. Mary in Aachen (1194/97-1213) to which the piece can
consequently also be ascribed.
100 Wilhelm von Querfurt, Propst des Marienstiftes in Aachen (1194/97-1213) Wachssiegel an Urkunde (anhängend). Aachen, vor 1197. Æ 5
cm; rund. Braunes Wachs an roter Seidenschnur. Vorzüglich abgedrückt und
erhalten, nur Wachsrand teilweise ausgebrochen. An der Urkunde außerdem das
3. Siegel des Aachener Marienstiftes. (Ewald, Rhein. SiegelIV, 1,7) Figur: Greif mit hase. Umschrift: X • SIGILLV(M) D(E)I GR(ATI)A • WILHELMI
AQVE(N)SIS P(RÆ)P(OSIT)I •.
Lucca Chasuble Aachen Treasury,
back 44. Lucca Chasuble (So called
because it was believed that the embroidery of the bars came from this city) T01001 Dimensions:
118.5 cm high; 85 cm wide Basic
material: Germany (?), 2nd half of the 13th century Cross and
bar width: Italy (Florence?), 14th century Lucca Stola 4.
Mantle. Blue
chasuble with scenes from the life of Christ. Italy, 13th
cent. Silk Goldthread embroidery. Border heavyly restored – L. 112 (53) (is so called because it is accepted that
golden lions, griffins and tendrils cover the blue silk chasuble. The border
on the front of the chasuble shows scenes from the life of Christ. [...] 5
scenes from the life of Christ can be seen on the vertical cross bar. [....] Despite
the heavy restoration, Byzantine influence can still be felt in the figure
style. The figures are strict, almost rigid in their moments of movement.
Even the downsizing in the embroidery does not deprive them of the
monumental. T01001 |
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|
Pellegrino II tedesco |
Patriarch of Aquileia 1195-†1204 |
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|
Pellegrino
was born in Cividale del Friuli to the Ortenburg-Sponheim family, son of Engelbert
III, Margrave of Istria (1124-1173). His nephew was Ulrich II, Duke of
Carinthia (1181-1202). He became prior of Cividale, then archdeacon of
Aquileia. Pellegrino succeeded Godfrey of Hohenstaufen as Patriarch of
Aquileia in 1195.
A fresco in the basilica of Aquileia shows him as St. Martialis
his chasuble strewn with roundels with griffins |
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|
Heinrich Borwin |
Heir of Pribislav King of the
Wends †1227 |
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|
From the last
King of the Wends Pribislav († 20 December 1178) neither certificate nor seal
has survived. His sole heir was Heinrich Borwin I († 28 January 1227) who had
a griffin in the seal.
Seal IV. A. 1
of. 1219. Figuer: Griffin. Captiont: X SIGLLVM : BVRWINI : MAGNI : POLONENSIS. (Seyler Fig.
317)
Seal
IV.A.2 of Prince Heinrich Borwin von Rostock on a document from 1219. Figure:
Griffin. Inscription: SIGILLVM • HEINRICI • IVVENIS • IN • ROSTOC. (Seyler Fig. 318) Some time
before the deaths of Borwin I and Borwin II, the government of the now
reunited country was led by a guardianship under the name of the four
underage sons of Borwin II: Johann, Nicolaus, Heinrich and Pribislav. The shield-shaped guardianship seal contains
a griffin with the inscription: SIGILL FRA (trvm) DNOR MAGNOPOLN. (Seyler Fig. 320) |
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Frederick II Hohenstaufen |
1194-1250 |
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Pluviale
of Boniface VIII, Anagni Cathedral. Sicilian, 1st half 13th century (1230). Embroidered
red silk, Pluviale 140 Í325 cm. |
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Pomerania |
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Archdiocese of Perugia |
Elevated: 27 March
1882 |
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City of Perugia, coat of arms Arms: Gules, a griffin Argent,
crowned Or. |
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Achievements, Two Griffins |
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Darius I, the Great
The dagger of Darius the Great (521-486) Bas-relief from
the Treasury at Persepolis. Time of Darius I. Length: 19½ “
(50,8 cm). Archæological Museum, Teheran. Darius’s dagger is worn by the officer
responsible for keeping the royal arms. Note the decorative motifs which
continue the art of Luristan, and the great delicacy of execution. Two griffins respecting, a row of bucks on
the shaft. An achievement of an emblem supported by two
griffins meens the praetorian office of
that service, that is here below: the praetorian
vicariate etc.
Bone comb, 1st century AD excavated at the
construction of the N-S Stadtbahn of Cologne. (2004-2011) Römisch Germanisches Museum,
Köln [19] Achievement
of cup/chalice and griffins. In Roman
times the Praetorium in Colonia Agrippina
served as the residence and office of the governor of the province of Germania Inferior, as well as the
administration building.[20] In his person, the governor
united the military superintendency over the Low Germanic army (Exercitus Germania Inferioris) and the
civilian supreme command over the province. His civilian authority included
both the judiciary as well as the executive and, in the regional context, the
legislative power. The governpr of a province was always a former Roman
consul as Legatus Augusti pro praetore
("emissary of the Emperor in the rank of a praetor"). He was only
subordinated to the Emperor. In order to accomplish his tasks, he controlled a large administrative
apparatus, a Cohort infantry, and
an Ala cavalry The large administrative body at his service
was symbolized by an achievement consisting of a cup or goblet, symbolizing
administrative authority, supported by two griffins symbolizing the rank of Praetor, together making “The administration by the
grace/support of the Praetor” (Praetorian
vicariate). Such an achievement is on the comb excavated
at the digging of a tunnel for Chlodwigsplatz Station of the subway in
Cologne in the years 2004-’11. |
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Trajanus |
98-117 |
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Foto
H.d.V. 2003. Torso van een keizersbeeld, misschien
van Trajanus. Op
het kuras een Gorgoneion en twee griffioenen. Op de slippen verschillende
onleesbare symbolen. Museo Archeologico
Nazionale, Aquileia.
Photo H.d.V.
2014-06-10 Marble statue of Emperor Trajan (98-117) H.: 250 cm. Utica (Tunis) R.M.O. Leiden. Nr. 29. On the breast cuirass a gorgoneion
and an achievement of a staff and two griffins On the slips of the lower cuirass, a helmeted
man’s head between two eagles and two other. Also two two Roman
She-wolves
Chalice and griffins 2nd cent Trier Museum
Cylindrical mount for a rhyton, decorated with
four griffins. Gold, H. 79 mm. Sarmatian
art from the Kuban, 2nd cent. AD. From a burial at Severskaya (Krasnodar). Historical
Museum, Moscow.
Photo H.d.V.
2014-06-10 200 ca Roman eagle on an emperor's cuirass. Also visible are two griffins and, on the slips of the lower cuirass, griffins, leopard and lion heads. Late 2nd century (r. Septimus Severus 193-211). Reused for an image of Maximianus Herculius (286-305) from Utica, Tunis. (ROL inv. N ° H II BB2). |
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Griffins supporting a chalice or cup On a 6th-7th
cent. tomb. Musée Municipal Bourges |
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743/744 Detail mit Greif und Pfauendrache aus der
Fassade der Kalifenresidenz al-Walids II Kalksteinrelief. Jordanien, Mschatta Museum für islamische
Kunst. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Inv.-Nr. I. 6163. |
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Harrach diptych,
700-750 Achievements of chalices and griffins,
meaning “the vicariate of the curia of a diocese” |
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Liturgical comb (two fragments). Mus. Nat. Moyen Age Paris In the 9th-10th century Lotharingia was a part of
France. It came to Germany in 925 It was divided into an Upper- and a Lower
Lotharingia in 959 As no additional symbol is seen this may be the
symbol of the curia of an metropolitan |
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Suaire de Saint Chaffre Théofrède d’Orange ou Théofrède de
Carméri est aussi appelé saint Chaffre, patron du Monastier-sur-Gazeille dans la Haute-Loire. Martyr des Sarrasins en 728.
Fête : 18
novembre1.
Red Byzantine silk decorated with griffins. 10th
cent. Below their wings
small eagles and in their bills little mammals or lions Treasury
of Le Monastier sur Gazeille abbey church (Haute Loire, Auvergne). In this
treasury is another piece . Le
Monastier s/Gazeille is in the utmost east of the Arch-diocese of Bourges and
was subordinated to Le Puy (St. Voisy, 374) or Clermont Ferrand (St.
Austremoine, 4th cent.). [21] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calmin The piece comes from a larger piece cut into
halves and showing an achievement consisting of a vine supported by two
griffins. In this achievement the vine symbolizes a diocese
or arrch diocese and the griffins are the badges of rank of a metropolitan
(of Le Puy or Bourges (?)).
Taking into account that a griffin is the badge of
a metropolitan, the nearest metropolitan in the kingdom of France was the
metropolitan of Bourges to which Le Puy and Clermont were suffragan dioceses. No biographies of Arch-bishops /
Metropolitans of Bourges of the 10th century are known The title of Count
of Auvergne appeared in about 960 The piece shows the
emblem of a curia (of Bourges?). Visited
2016. |
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Two griffons back-to-back (addorsed)
reguardant. Silk serge and wool. Fragment from a reliquary. Byzantine, 11th
century. Musée de Valère, Sion (Switzerland) / Eglise
de Valére / Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg Two grifins without any supporters may mean The
Curia Three
medallions: two complete, the one on the left partly destroyed. Still
reminiscent of the winged griffon on the Siviard sudarium in Sens, though later and somewhat coarser. The
pontifical stockings from the grave of Pope Clement II (died 1047) in Bamberg
Cathedral provide another example of this type of fabric (now in Berlin). The
heart-shaped palmettes of the circular surrounds are the clearest indication
that this material came from Byzantium. Sion is
in the former province of Alpes Graiæ
et Poeninæ later the archdiocese of Tarantaise
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TITRE: Olifant dit Olifant de Charlemagne : le Christ et la Vierge en majesté PÉRIODES: 11e siècle, 12e siècle, période médiévale – Bas Moyen Âge TECHNIQUES: sculpté,
ivoire NUMÉRO
D’INVENTAIRE: Cl.13065 DÉTAIL: Vers 1100 (?). Provenance : abbaye de Saint-Arnoul de Metz
On both sides of the griffins stags |
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262 B. Textile fragment. Star Pattern Islamic (Near
East) 11th or 12th century Silk; warp-faced
plain weave decorated with pattern weft. 39,2 x 30,5 cm. Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Mme Paul Mallon, Paris The Cleveland
Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (41.292) Green silk with white griffins and 8-pointed
stars. It is doubtful if the piece is really
islamitc because the is a large square cross in the middle From Sens (formerly Lugdunensis IV –
Senonia):
Pamplona Casket
(1004-1005) Pamplona to Auch 714-1091 |
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Bamberg |
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1e
half of the 11th century. Stockings of the dress of Pope Clement
II (†1047) Diözesanmuseum Bamberg. Gold brocade with
peacocks between medallions of two
griffins addorsed reguardant. The dalmatic of Clement is all gold and is
also preserved in Bamberg. The griffins and peacocks are the emblems of
a metropolitan and a prefect (the rank of the Pope since
the 6th century.)
This textile is surrounded by a series of myths and is often dated to the
early 11th century - 19th century historians believed it to be the fabric of
the emperor Henry II burial dress (F.Bock 1856, G.Ebers 1878).
Silk from the tomb of Edward the Confessor, 1066 With the patches
preserved indicated (V&A Museum) |
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SENS, political and religious metropolis |
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In the 4th
century, Sens was designated by the Romans as the capital of the 4th
Lyonnaise (= Lugdunensis IV or Seneonia). As such, it had under its
dependence Chartres, Auxerre, Meaux,
Paris, Orléans and Troyes. The
ecclesiastical district was modeled on the civil district and the episcopal
seat of Nevers, when it was
created at the end of the 5th century, was also attached to Sens. These seven
bishoprics made up an ecclesiastical province of exceptional importance
reflected in the motto CAMPONT - acrostic of the initials of the seven seats
- proudly inscribed under the arms of the chapter of the cathedral of Sens. In 769,
the archbishop of Sens, Villicaire, was at the head of the Frankish episcopal
mission which attended the Council in Rome in charge of judging the intruding
pontiff Constantine II, with the title of archbishop of the Gauls. Primacy By a bull
dated 2 January 876, Pope John VIII instituted the Archbishop of Sens
Ansegise "apostolic vicar".
Even if the term "primate" is not used, nobody is mistaken about
the reality of the function, and the monk chronicler Odoranne even speaks of
“second pope”. The primate was a link between the papal authority and the
provinces. In 1163,
at the height of his quarrels with Frédérick Barbarossa, Pope Alexander III
consecrated the primacy of Sens by coming to settle there, at the invitation
of King Louis VII, from September 1163 to April 1165, doing so for a few
month the center of Christendom. No doubt
the role of Sens declined thereafter. From the 11th century, Sens and Lyon
competed for the primacy of the Gauls and Germania. As Paris became the
kingdom's capital, the bishopric of Paris and the king himself found it
increasingly difficult to depend on Sens. At the end of a dispute spanning
several centuries, the Universi Orbis bubble of 20 October 1622 erected Paris
into an archbishopric with Chartres, Meaux and Orléans as suffragants. The diocese of Sens became an archdiocese in
696 |
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In theTreasury of Sens
Cathedral a large piece of silk is preserved decorated with peacocks and
griffins. 150 Textile fragment
from the Reliquary of Saint-Siviard. Byzantine, 11th-12th century. Silk and gilded
membrane 89 x 135 cm. Provenance: Reliquary of
Saint Sivard, Cathedral Treasury, Sens. Trésor de la Cathédrale de
Saint-Étienne, Sens, France (B 8)
344. Textile Fragment from the Reliquary of Saint
Potentiatus. Byzantine or
Siculo-Byzantine (?) 12th century. Silk, 145 x 97
cm. provenance: Reliquary of Saint Potentianus (Potentien) Trésor de la
Cathédrale de Saint-Étienne, Sens, France (b7) This textile
fragment from the reliquary of Saint Potentianus, martyred third-century
bishop of Sens, may be the fabric that was placed around his remains in the
early thirteenth century. The bluish purple silk has a design in red and blue
of large circles with frames composed of pseudo-Kufic inscriptions. Connected
axially by small disks, the circles enclose stylized trees with pairs of
griffins and birds (peacocks?), one above the other. The interstices are
filled with tree motif containing two pairs of birds, and yellow beading
trims the edge. Evans, Helen C. &
William D. Wixom. Eds. The Glory of Byzantium. Art and Culture of the Middle
Byzantine Era A.D. 843-1261. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997. The peacocks are the badge of rank of a
prefect and the griffins of a metropolite.
These emblems would match a pope as the Holy
See was a prefecture since the 6th century. From october 1162 until 23 November 1165 Pope
Alexander III resided in Sens in exile
Basilica San Marco, Venice Floor mosaics of
an achievement of griffins supporting an ornament. Salian, early 12th cent. Grado (until
1451) |
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Archdiocese of
Monreale. Elevated: 5 February 1183 |
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Two griffins respecting Dom of Monreale, 1183 ca Archbishops of Monreale Guillelmus, O.S.B. (4
February 1183 – 28 October 1191) Carus, O.S.B. (23 May 1194 –
after 3 August 1222) |
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Bernardo Calvo
Bishop of Vich |
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Bernat Calbó (or Calvó) (c. 1180 – 26 October 1243),
sometimes called Bernard of Calvo, was a Catalan jurist, bureaucrat, monk,
bishop, and soldier. Born and
educated in Manso Calvo near Reus, Bernat belonged to a family of the
knightly class and early on served as a jurist and functionary at the curia of the Archdiocese of Tarragona. In 1214 he became a Cistercian monk at
the monastery of Santes Creus, eventually being elected its first abbot and,
in 1223 or 1233, Bishop of Vich. In 1238 he and his episcopal household
joined the Crusade of Reconquista launched against the taifa of Valencia. Bernat
brought material aid to the sieges of Burriana and Valencia. When the latter
fell to the forces of James I of Aragon, Bernard and his troops joined the
rest for a celebratory first Mass in the central mosque of the city. He
received many grants of land in the Kingdom of Valencia, which he visited a
second time in 1242. Still a jurist, he helped to publish the Valencian laws,
the so-called Furs of Valencia, before his death at Vich in 1243. He was
buried in the Cathedral
of Vic. In 1260
he was beatified by Pope Alexander IV and on 26 September 1710 he was
canonised by Pope Clement XI (1700-’21). Bishop Bernard Calvo of Vich. 1233-‘43. To Tarragona from
1091 From his tomb there
are fragments of silks with two-headed eagles and of metal and silk with
medallions of a man embracing (supported by) two lions , the so-called
gilgamesh motif. Another piece from the last lampas shows two griffins
affronted.
Lampas with confronted griffins From the tomb of Bishop Bernardo Calvo of Vich (1233-1243) (Tarragona) |
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Habsburg
Monarchy |
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© Hubert de Vries 2020-10-03
Heraldry of the World