Genoa, Museum of St. Augustine: Grifo, by Campionese sculptor ("Master of Giano") about 1315. White marble from the Apuane Mountains.In the fire of the Cathedral in 1297 the bronze griffin, which had been made in 1228 by master Oberto by the will of the Municipality, was destroyed or damaged. It was the civic symbol, alluding to Genoa's desire to find, between the Papacy (symbolized by the lion) and the Empire (to which the eagle alluded), a third way to municipal autonomy, symbolized by a fantastic animal like the griffin, a mix of lion and eagle. This marble copy was made to replace the original.Detail.
