Bronze lid and upper part of an oil flask

Unknown

4th century BCE · Bronze · Greek and Roman Art

The relief on this elegantly worked roundel depicts a nude youth being attacked by a griffin. It relates to legends, first mentioned by the ancient Greek writer Herodotus, of the people called Arimasps who lived east of the Black Sea.Their land was rich in gold, but the gold was guarded by fierce griffins. The subject became popular during the Hellenistic period, especially for terracottas produced in Tarentum. It is likely that these South Italian models inspired the Central Italian adaptation on this bronze.

Artist

Unknown

Date

4th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Praenestine

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1910