Description

The griffin's head is cast hollow. After casting, the surface was carefully reworked with a burin, the traces of which can be seen particularly on the mane around the head. The face is animated with recessed points. The staring eyes and the slightly open beak give the head a threatening expression.

The griffin was apparently soldered onto a metal sheet. It served as a prominent decoration on a helmet like the one worn by Thracian gladiators. As a particularly defensive, mythical hybrid creature with the head of a bird of prey, this appliqué certainly reinforced the combat-ready character of a gladiator.