“This generous grant will allow us to continue on our preservation work at Castle Hill,” said Regional Historic Resources Manager Susan Hill Dolan, who accepted the grant on behalf of The Trustees. "This unique pair of sculptures were a conservation priority both for their Crane provenance and as important works of art in their own right."

The griffins were the 1928 gift to industrialist Richard T. Crane, Jr., from the employees of the Crane Company to guard his home on Castle Hill. Situated on the north terrace of the Great House, the sculptures form an integral part of the mansion, designed by noted Chicago architect David Adler. The artist, Paul Manship (1885-1966), was an American artist of international fame who worked out of New York and Gloucester, Massachusetts, and was part of the Cape Ann community of artists. Prolific in his own time, he is probably best known for his Art Deco Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Over the years, exposure to the elements has resulted in corrosion, abrasion, wear and graffiti on the two large cast-lead sculptures. Thanks to the grant, the griffins will undergo metal and paint analyses, followed by a surface cleaning and the application of a pigmented acrylic coating and pigmented wax so that they once again resemble the patinated bronze coloration as originally intended.

 “The end result will be dramatic,” says Hill Dolan, who expects the conservation work to be completed by the end of October. Even though tours of the Great House are over for the season, she encourages people to come and view the griffins.