MEDIEVAL SCULPTOR, Italian
(active 1200-1220 in Fidenza)

The Heavenly Journey of Alexander the Great

1200-20
Stone
San Donnino, Fidenza

The image of Alexander the Great borne into the sky on his throne (or on a chariot or in a basket) drawn by two griffins was widely disseminated in Europe from the twelfth to fifteenth century. The story of a hero carried by winged creatures occurs in Babylonian myth and from there found its way into Europe through Persian and Byzantine legends.