The Griffin that Ate Pat Wictor
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Bronze cauldrons on tripods or conical stands were among the most spectacular votive gifts dedicated in Greek sanctuaries from the 8th to the 6th century B.C. Cast-bronze griffins' heads often decorated the cauldron's rims. Sometimes they were colossal. In Book 1, Herodotus describes one made for King Kroisos of Lydia that could hold 2,700 gallons.
