15% OFF sitewide with code SELENE15
medium bronze helmet with griffin and olive
£200.00
An open-mouthed griffin head forms part of the crest of this lovely helmet. An olive wreath decorates the brow, and the nape is beautifully decorated also. On either side of the griffin are (in Greek) 'Antinoos' and 'Korinthos'. Antinoos was the lover of Hadrian. The style of helmet is Corinthian. Mounted on a marble base. Height including base: 30cm (please note there may be a variation of a centimeter or two between each helmet)
quantity
about the bronzes in this collection
The 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 on a marble base, it will be a black or very dark grey base. There may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time. 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, and photograph these gorgeous pieces and to pass them on to customers all over the world. |
about the helmets
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 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 or the sphinx.
Original helmets are much thinner and lighter than these, and the largest 'life-size' copies 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 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.
about the olive
The olive was the symbol of Athena, patron goddess of the city of Athens, to whom she gave the olive as her gift. She planted the first one on the Akropolis. There is in fact an olive there today, next to the Erechtheion, the temple dedicated to Athena and her uncle Poseidon, who lost to his niece the contest to become guardian of the city.
When the Athenians returned to their city after its destruction by the Persians, the Akropolis olive tree already had a green shoot, symbolising the recovery and transformation of Athens and her citizens.
The olive appears on the famous Athenian owl coin, and is a recurrent motif in ancient Greek art, whenever Athena is depicted. Nike, the goddess of Victory, and closely associated with Athena, is often depicted with an olive wreath, which she would place on the head of a victorious athlete.
An olive wreath was the prize for Olympic victors, and Herakles' club was made from the wood of an olive tree.
about the griffin
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 or conical stands 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.