This is one of two mythical Griffin sculptures located in Centennial Park, in the eastern suburbs. The griffins guard each side of Parkes Drive, the main entry road leading down from Paddington Gates. The original statues, installed in the 1890s, were manufactured by Villeroy and Boch and made of ceramic. They had eroded and were missing details by the time they were removed in 1971. The restored sculptures were reinstated in 2005 on the same on sandstone plinths. Although referred to as griffins, these sculptures are actually a “gryphonic” hybrid because true griffins have the face, beak, talons and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.
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