The Griffin, ca. 1475

About the Work

A griffin is an ancient mythical creature to which the Late Middle Ages attached both positive and negative meaning—as a heraldic animal symbolizing vigilance, and as a demonic hybrid. Traditionally a lion with an eagle’s head, here it is depicted as a fantastical combination of direct observations of nature. The head resembles that of an eagle but also a fierce cock, the body that of an emaciated bovine. The curves of the neck, tail, and wings lend the composition an almost ornamental quality.