Gryphons, Griffins, Griffons

Griffins, Gryphons, Griffons

Celtic Gryphon from The Stone Griffin

Gryphons are mythological beasts commonly depicted as having the head, forelegs and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, tail and occasionally ears of a lion.

Guardian Griffin from The Stone Griffin

They have been known for centuries as symbols of strength and vigilance, and have been called "The Hounds of Zeus."

In some mythologies, they represent the wealth of the sun. Or they are said to have hordes of fabulous treasure, which they guard endlessly.

Small Griffin (and Lion) Plaque from The Stone Griffin

There are several different accepted spellings—with the three most common being gryphon, griffin and griffon. 

We have a nice selection of griffins at The Stone Griffin, which you can see by clicking HERE.

Long Retired Gargoyle Statues

Over the many years of selling gargoyle statues I have seen many a nice gargoyle go to the big gothic cathedral in the sky.

Retired Gargoyle 'Max'

First up is Max. I was helping a buyer, carrying this guy to his car. The guy had a dog in car barking at me — the owner said "Shut up Max!" I thought the name Max was perfect for this guy, so he became Max.

Max — and other gargoyles — were made by a business in Oklahoma. The business changed hands and everything went into a downward spiral.

13th Century Notre Dame Gargoyle

This cute guy is a model of a gargoyle dating from the Notre Dame Cathedral during the 13th century. Notre Dame was restored in the mid-1800s — and many of the gargoyles we associate with the cathedral date from that restoration.

Dagmar Gargoyle

Sad to say I can't really remember the story on this guy! He was made by an artist on the east coast as I recall — that's about all I remember...

Golum Incense Holder

This is a picture of one of a line of incense holder gargoyles made by a husband/wife team up in Washington State. I liked them a lot, unfortunately they moved on, stopped making them.

Gargoyle

While writing this I can't recall the name of this guy — but I do remember two things. One, he is a favorite of mine, and two, the artist is still around! The artist seems to have lost interest in making any gargoyles, I have been expressing my desire for him to do so!

Skull Head Toilet Bowl Brush

This skull head toilet bowl brush has been retired. It was made by a big giant factory in China, and perhaps was retired as either it sold slowly, or simply to make room for new items.

The take-away lesson of this blog post is: if you see something you love you better think seriously of getting it, the continuing availability is not a given! 

Go to gargoylestore.com now by clicking HERE.

Burger King Gargoyle Toy

I was at an estate sale — looking for nothing — but found this little guy:

Burger King Gargoyle Toy

It is a little wind up toy that Burger King gave out. He is a gargoyle with wings, horns and a nice simulated stone finish.

Wind him up and he scoots across the table with his arms windmilling away.

I think I will keep him.

I think he will become my computer buddy.

Burger King Gargoyle Toy

Here he is hanging out on my computer.

New Green Man Added to the Website — Tiny Green Man Keystone Plaque

I have added a new green man sculpture to the website.

Tiny Green Man Keystone Plaque

Here is a picture of the little guy. This green man is made by one of our favorite artists! Excellent workmanship, nice details.

He is quite small as you can see in the photograph. There is a wire hoop so that the green man can be hung.

Another View of the Tiny Green Man Plaque

A green man is a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament on buildings. The Green Man motif has many variations, and is found in many cultures around the world. It is primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of growth each spring.

My website has a section of green men, so jump to the green man section of gargoylestore.com by clicking here.

The Many Faces of the Irving Gargoyle

The gargoyle that is usually called 'Irving' is a popular guy, and different artists have carved their own interpretation of Irving.

Irving Gargoyle 

The picture above is the 'original' Irving gargoyle. This is a photo of the bass relief decoration on a building at 81 Irving Place in Manhattan in New York City. This guy is the inspiration of the gargoyle  sculptures that are called 'Irving.'

Irving Gargoyle

This Irving is probably my favorite. He is cast in gypsum cement, and I think that the quality of the artist's work is excellent. Great details, with a great finish! I offer this guy in two different sizes — this size and a smaller guy.

Small Irving Gargoyle Sculpture

Here is the small version of the Irving gypsum gargoyle sculpture, note the key for size scale on this photograph, and the size cue on the larger guys above is the business card under one of the Irving gargoyle's foot.

Cast Stone Irving Gargoyle Sculpture

Another take on the Irving gargoyle. This little guy is made of cast stone with a green patina finish.

Irving Gargoyle

Let this version of the Irving gargoyle be my last picture on this blog. This guy is made of stone covered fiberglass, so they are rather light weight and good for indoor or outdoor display.

Visit my website gargoylestore.com to see all these guys and more!