The Chertsey Tiles: Spandrel with a Griffin in a Roundel by Reuben Reyes ’23
12023-01-17T10:11:47-08:00Brooke Hendershottb0a907cd0f989ee79e94592378a1545647719cfb394471For more information about the Chertsey tiles and associated medieval objects, visit https://chertseytiles.holycross.edu.plain2023-01-17T10:11:48-08:00Brooke Hendershottb0a907cd0f989ee79e94592378a1545647719cfb
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.
