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Spandrel with a Griffin in a Roundel (HUAM 1949.47.71)

39447
By Reuben Reyes '22
 

What makes this object unique?


In Romanesque architecture, the triangular spaces between arches - known as spandrels - were often adorned with decorative elements. Carved into the center of this spandrel is a griffin, a mythical beast with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Across Mediterranean cultures, the griffin is a mark of nobility, and in Christian cultures it could be used as a representation of Christ. Griffins in roundels were also regularly depicted on silks made in the eastern Mediterranean by both Byzantine and Islamic craftsmen. The object was found in Vézelay - an important gathering site for French Crusaders - and to some, the sculpted image of a griffin in a roundel might have suggested the exotic textile productions of the Holy Land.

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