Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 3): The great transitional age in the northern and eastern sections of the Palace (London, 1930)

51°

FRIEZE OF GRIFFINS BOUND TO COLUMNS

Frag-
ments of
frieze
with
griffins
tethered
to
columns.

Frieze with Griffins tethered to Columns.

In the same deposit with the high reliefs from the East Hall of the
Knossian Palace exhibiting scenes of the Arena, there were also found
fragments of paint-
ed reliefs belong-
ing to a frieze of
a more architec-
tonic class. These
were the remains
of confronted pairs
of Griffins attach-
ed to intervening
columns as shown
in the sketch,
Fig. 355.1 The
Griffins, parts of
which were exe-
cuted in distinctly
high relief—some
of the forelegs even
in the round (Fig.
357)-were painted
white, with red and
black details on a

blue ground. One of these, of which a good deal of the fore-part was forth-
coming, showed about the neck a section of a collar decorated with white disks
on a Venetian red ground, from which hangs the end of a beaded cord where-
with, no doubt, to fasten it to the column (Fig. 356). The lower portion of
the capital of one of the columns came to light, with a rounded moulding
below, the surface of which was-channelled, and, above this, a fragment of
echinus showing foliation above. A part of a similar capital is preserved in
the case of a fine columnar lamp of purple gypsum already illustrated,2 the
spirally fluted pedestal of which presents the ' Sacral Ivy' motive in its

1 This restoration given in the sketch is my a griffin's head,

own suggestion. In the original scheme pro- 2 P. of M., i, p. 345, and ibid., ii, Pt. II,

posed by Monsieur Gillieron the capital of the pp.480, 481. The lamp was found in the

column was taken for a kind of diadem on S.E. House.

Fig. 356.

Fragment of Sphinx Relief showing Part of Collar
and Beaded Cord.