full size bronze helmet with griffin crest

The prototype for these glorious helmets is the plain, uncrested Corinthian style of the 6th century BCE. Originals of these can be seen in museums across the world. Those in the Goulandris Collection in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, and in the Museum of Ancient Olympia are the inspiration for this collection, created by the late Kostas Semitekolo.

The motifs on the crests are either geometric designs, such as the Greek key meandros motif, or symbolic creatures such as the griffin, the sphinx, or the serpent.

Original helmets are much thinner and lighter than these, and the largest 'life-size' copies here are also smaller than the circumference of today's average male head. They are most definitely not to be worn! The crested ones are cast in two pieces, then the separately cast crest is inserted. If you look inside the helmets, you can often see the marks left by the wax during the casting process. Where mounted, they are on a solid marble base.

A note about variations in height if the helmet is on a base: As they are not mass produced, the little (fixed) pole in the smaller size helmets can vary in height up to 2cm either way. If you need a specific height, email me before you order! The larger helmets have a detachable pole which is (usually!) the same height. The marble base can also vary in dimensions, but only by millimetres.

Hephaistos would be amazed by the craftsmanship and quality of this wonderful collection!

These superb bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted, the base is of black marble.

Please note that there may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time, and that accessories such as spears, tridents or javelins may vary in length or height! If you need precise dimensions and weight, email me!

If you need a piece to fit a very specific space, or if you want me to take a photo of a couple of pieces so you can pick the one you want, I will do so with pleasure.

Every piece is deliciously tactile.

It's All Greek is so grateful and so proud to have been working closely with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege and a joy to handle, live with, to photograph and describe these gorgeous pieces, before passing them on to passionate and grateful customers all over the world.

If you already own one of these pieces, cherish it!

Symbol of wealth and prosperity and guardians of prized possessions, the mythical hybrid griffin had powerful wings, the body of a lion and the beak of an eagle.

Griffins were sacred to Apollo, whose treasure they guarded. They are also associated with Dionysos, as the guardians of his ever-flowing supply of wine.

Bronze cauldrons set on tripods were among the most spectacular votive gifts dedicated in Greek sanctuaries from the eighth to the sixth centuries BCE. A cast bronze griffin head, called a protome, often formed part of the decoration of these cauldrons.

Over six hundred such bronze griffin heads are on display in museums all over the world. Many have been found at the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and at that of Hera on Samos.