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The well-preserved griffin once adorned a tripod cauldron in Olympia in the 7th century BC. It spent 89 years in the United States before Greece recovered and repatriated it last year.<\/p>\n
The griffin is among more than 180 ancient works of art from 29 institutions across 11 countries that will feature in the exhibition, titled \u201cWeaving the Sea: Art and Identity Beyond Ancient Greece.\u201d The exhibition opens on December 20 and will run until April 11, 2027.<\/p>\n
From the Homeric epics to the wider Mediterranean<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The bronze griffin carries particular significance for Greece, but it is not the only object that highlights the exhibition\u2019s importance.<\/p>\n The exhibition explores the period from the 8th century BC to the early 5th century BC, covering the emergence of the city-state, the establishment of pan-Hellenic sanctuaries and the Olympic Games, as well as the composition of the Homeric epics.<\/p>\n During this period, Greek merchants, craftsmen, colonists and mercenaries travelled extensively across the Mediterranean. They returned home not only with goods but also with new ideas that influenced artistic production.<\/p>\n The exhibition will also present the Zeus of Ugento, a major work from the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, in the United States for the first time. Local bronze workers created the Archaic-period statue, which provides evidence of the influence of Greek metalworking on the other side of the Adriatic.<\/p>\n Another notable object is a large Greek bronze vessel discovered at the acropolis of Susa in Achaemenid Persia. The artefact reflects the reach of ancient commercial networks into the East.<\/p>\n The Vatican Museums have selected a kylix for the exhibition\u2019s promotional campaign. The ancient drinking cup depicts Heracles crossing the sea inside the cauldron of the sun god Helios.<\/p>\n The Met curators Sean Hemingway, Alexis Belis and Delphine Tonglet are overseeing the exhibition, which will remain on display through April 11, 2027.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n