Griffin - Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806. (Mythology Wall Art)
This vintage art print shows a griffin standing calmly in a simple landscape. The creature has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, drawn with clear lines and soft color on a warm parchment style background. It has a quiet, storybook feel that works well in a study, reading corner or bedroom, especially next to books, wood and darker tones.
About this art print
This print is based on an illustration by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, a German publisher best known for his children’s encyclopedia Bilderbuch für Kinder in the early 1800s. In that work he gathered images of animals, plants, machines and myths, including legendary creatures like the griffin. The idea of the griffin as a guardian goes back to ancient stories, where it was said to watch over gold and hidden treasures.
Bertuch’s version keeps the pose simple. The griffin stands in profile so you can clearly see the eagle head, hooked beak, feathered wings and the strong lion body behind them. The ground line, rocks and plants are lightly sketched, which makes the creature itself the main focus. In other drawings, like his unicorn, he uses the same calm, almost textbook style, so the animals feel like they belong to the same small imagined world.
Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
You can find more pieces like this in our Vintage Art collection.
Griffin (Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806.) - Vintage Art Print
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At Artifex Historical Replicas, we bridge the gap between museum archives and your home. Each piece is a handcrafted historical art print recreated from authentic primary sources, including antique city views and botanical illustrations.
Hand-Processed Paper: We use specialized paper with burned edges and a beeswax finish to replicate the weight and feel of genuine old parchment.
Gilded Details: Our workshop adds subtle real gold accents, bringing the same glow to your walls found in 16th-century illuminated manuscripts.
Custom Sizes & Worldwide Shipping: We offer bespoke sizing for custom frames and ship our historical replicas globally from our family workshop.
Explore our full guide on how we create, display, and restore parchment-style replicas.
