SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Seminar on the Pisa Griffin and the Mari-Cha Lion

Probably produced within the Islamic Mediterranean in the eleventh century, the Griffin has incised on its body a long inscription in Arabic expressing good wishes. Captured by the Pisans, it underwent an extraordinary transformation: for centuries it was a sound-producing guardian figure on top of the roof of Pisa Cathedral. The present project is focused on the Griffin but also includes alongside it other bronze animal sculptures such as the Mari-Cha Lion and the Lucca Falcon. It is hoped that the interdisciplinary study of the Griffin will shed light on the significance of such objects in a global Mediterranean culture.  

This seminar is intended to further our understanding of these bronze objects by sharing the results of the scientific analyses and the historical and art-historical investigations that have taken place in the last ten years. Part of the Research Seminar in Islamic Art, it is intended for scholars working in fields related to the Griffin and associated themes. The format of the seminar will be an introduction followed by a series of tightly focused presentations on the Pisa Griffin, Mari-Cha Lion, Lucca Falcon and related objects such as the Monzon Lion and the Cagliari Peacock. Central to them will be the questions: what are these objects?, where and when were they made?, what was the context of their production and what was their original function?, what has happened to them since?, and how can technical analyses help our investigations?

The presentations are intended to lead to an open conversation on all these topics and to a productive exchange of views.

Programme

Time	Description
9.00	Welcome - Timon Screech (SOAS, University of London)
	HISTORICAL AND ART HISTORICAL CONTEXT Chair: Alison Ohta (Royal Asiatic Society)
9.10	Anna Contadini (SOAS, University of London) Introduction and overview of studies
9.25	Gabriella Garzella (Pisa University) Historical background of Pisa in the Middle Ages
9.35	Richard Camber (London) – The Lion and possible connections with Southern Italian art
9.45	Discussion
10.15	Break
	TECHNICAL ANALYSES Chair: Antony Eastmond (Courtauld Institute)
10.45	Peter Northover (University of Oxford) Metal analyses on the Griffin and the Lion
10.55	Walter Fasnacht  (Inter-Community School, Zürich) Copper in Cyprus
11.05	Matthew Ponting (University of Liverpool) Fatimid metallurgy
11.15	Peter Northover (University of Oxford) Casting techniques of the Lion
11.25	Mirco Bassi (Opera del Duomo, Pisa) Casting techniques of the Griffin
11.35	Discussion
11.55	David Sharp (Open University) Acoustic
12.05	Maurice Merrell (Bishop & Son) The sound of the Griffin and the Lion
12.15	Discussion
12.45	Lunch
	DECORATION AND DETAILS ON THE GRIFFIN AND LION Chair: Tim Stanley (Victoria and Albert Museum)
2.00	Roberto Scopigno (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa) The Griffin and the latest 3D technology
2.10	Marco Callieri (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa) The Griffin and Lion in 3D
2.20	Mirco Bassi (Opera del Duomo, Pisa) Decoration and tools on the Pisa Griffin
2.30	Julian Raby (Freer Gallery of Art) The inscriptions on the Griffin
2.40	Rachel Ward (London) The animals engraved on the Griffin and Lion
2.50	Discussion
3.20	Break
	COMPARATIVE OBJECTS Chair: Venetia Porter (British Museum)
3.40	Sophie Makariou (Musée du Louvre) The Monzon Lion and the Peacock at the Louvre
3.50	William Greenwood (Museum of Islamic Art, Doha) The Doha Hind
4.00	Damiano Anedda (Cagliari University) The Cagliari Peacock
4.10	Anna Ballian (Benaki Museum, Athens) The Sinai predatory bird
4.20	Anna Contadini (SOAS, University of London) The Lucca Falcon
4.30	Discussion
5.00	Julian Raby (Freer Gallery of Art) Concluding remarks

Admission

By invitation only.