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Grifo de Redován

Grifo de Redován is an Iberian sculpture found in the Spanish municipality of Redován, in the province of Alicante, at the site known as El Mulagar. It was discovered in 1893 during excavations carried out by Valeriano Aracil. The work depicts a mythological being half man and half eagle, with bulging eyes, an open beak-like mouth, joined eyebrows, a proto-Hellenic, Cypriot or Phoenician palmette-like form, and a ridged crest on the neck flanked by goat horns. The sculpture was displayed at the Louvre Museum until it was returned to Spain in 1941. It is now held in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional.

Grifo de Redován stone head sculpture with rounded eyes and a beak-like mouth on a pedestal.
The Grifo de Redován, a stone Iberian sculpture, shown on display against a dark background.
September 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grifo de Redován stone head with large round eyes and carved curls on top.
Grifo de Redován, a Iberian stone griffin head with prominent eyes and decorative carving.
August 2018 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stone head of the Grifo de Redován with rounded eyes and ornate carved details on the forehead and top surface.
Grifo de Redován, a carved stone griffin head from Redován, showing stylized eyes and decorative surface details.
September 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grifo de Redován stone sculpture with a carved eye and ornate swirling details.
Grifo de Redován, an Iberian stone sculpture with a stylized eye and decorative carved patterns.
· CC BY-SA 3.0
Weathered stone fragment of the Grifo de Redován showing a large round eye and ornate swirling details.
Close-up of the Grifo de Redován stone fragment, with a prominent eye and carved decorative details.
· CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleGrifo de Redován
TypeIberian sculpture

Historical context

Discovery date1893

Discovery and provenance

Discovery locationEl Mulagar, Redován, Alicante province, Spain
Discovered duringarchaeological excavations by Valeriano Aracil

Creator

AttributionSome experts suggest it may have been made by the same sculptor as the Lady of Elche

Materials

MaterialLimestone

Physical characteristics

FormStone head representing a mythological creature, half man and half eagle; possibly a griffin or another fantastic animal
EyesBulging eyes
BeakOpen beak-shaped mouth
EyebrowsLarge joined eyebrows, interpreted as simulating a proto-Hellenic, Cypriot, or Phoenician palmette
Neck detailA serrated crest on the neck flanked by two goat-like horns

Location and ownership

Exhibition historyDisplayed at the Louvre Museum until 1941
Current locationNational Archaeological Museum of Spain, Madrid
Return to Spain1941