Why was this made, and how was it used?
Spandrels are the triangular space found on either side of an arch. They play an important dual role as an architectural element and artistic element: in addition to ensuring the stability of the archway, it allows artisans to place a design in the triangular space for viewers to admire.
From the eleventh century to the fourteenth century, several regions of Europe built in the style of Romanesque art, which was greatly influenced by ancient Byzantine artwork. The architecture was also very Romanesque: cathedrals were characteristically built with an abundance of round-headed arches for support, barrel vaulted naves (rounded ceilings), and apses (semi-circular domes). From these elements came a unique and innovative style that was found in cathedrals such as the Vézelay Abbey.
A very important characteristic of Romanesque art was figurative sculpture that decorated architectural structures. In a similar way that manuscripts at the time would have colorful, decorative elements adorning their borders (think Morgan Picture Bible!), architectural elements such as the tympanum (the space above an entrance, like an archway) would have artistic elements carved into it that were largely pictorial and religious in nature. It was on the tympanum where prophetic scenes such as the Last Judgement could unfold, so that people could be primed to the rich and mystical history of Catholicism before entering the church.
The unique upside down triangular shape of our object along with its rigid arched edges suggest that it probably abutted the voussoirs of arcades. In other words, it was found at the intersection of consecutive repeating arches. Considering the relatively small dimensions of the object, the spandrel with a griffin may have been used as part of a cloister, an open arcade that ran along the walls of a building to form a courtyard in the middle. Since the griffin represented Christ within religious contexts, the object may have been used for the apotropaic purpose of steering away evil spirits or to remind people of the power of Christianity and the dominance they had over other religions within the Crusades. Since it also was very representative of Byzantine textiles and silk (which also displayed griffin symbolism), the sculpted griffin may have reminded the Crusaders of those textile productions of the Holy Land, further inspiring them before they ventured off to the Holy Land.
