Slide 1 of 3
Guardian Lion Flag
Slide 2 of 3
Detail of Lion in Guardian Lion Flag
Slide 3 of 3
Detail of gold trim on Guardian Lion Flag

Guardian Lion Flag

Guardian Lion Flag

$3,000.00

Quantity:

Wall hanging painted flag made of fabric, bullion and wood measuring 28" x 18". This piece measures a total of 37" long when hanging from golden cord hanger.

A complex emblem representing the guardian lions associated with the cave shrine. The
fragmented nature of the lion sculptures represents the deconstruction of the troubled
self and the miraculous rejoining of the disparate parts. The column represents strength and resistance to fear. The beehive represents the potential for favor and guidance, the empty laurel wreath waits for a future initiate, and the rock arch in the background symbolized the cave threshold to the underworld.

This piece of art belongs to a larger body of work entitled “Recently Discovered Artifacts”, a site-specific art installation presenting a cache of hidden “artifacts” from a fictional secret antiquarian society, once active in the historic building where Gold Bug operates in Old Pasadena, California.

THE FRATERNAL SOCIETY OF SUPPLIANTS TO TROPHONIOS(F.S.O.S.T.)

This mock exhibition is part of a collaborative, surrealist imagining built around some paintings by artist John Griswold, retroactively seeking a plausible context for the particularly odd imagery beginning to gel around a theme - his memories of encountering a little known ancient Greek site described by the Roman travel writer Pausanias as an undergraduate in Art History. After writing a term paper on the Oracle of Trophonios in Levadea, John recalled actually stumbling onto the overgrown location of the oracular cave during a travel break when working as an assistant to an archacological conservator in Greece that summer. This serendipitous encounter has shaped his artistic interest for decades.

In an experimental move to start working on a larger scale than the intimately detailed, small panels typical of his oeuvre, John returned to working on "canvas", experimenting with different formats and textures of fabric weave. Seeking a surface similar to fine "portrait linen" popular starting in the early 19th century in Neoclassically obsessed northern Europe, he turned to modern synthetic equivalents, stretched tightly over a rigid board to give him the familiar "feel" of painting on panel. Pleased with the results, but enamored of the flexible nature of the painting when released from the board, John struck on the idea of adhering the thin painted fabric to another piece for support. He immediately thought of the processional and ceremonial banners in his own collection of 19th century Fraternal society paraphernalia.

The new paintings became instant artifacts - but without a context. When his longtime friends at Goldbug showed him the highly evocative back storage room at their new location in this 1911 brick building, ideas started flowing around the already magical feeling the exposed brickwork and structural wooden beams, and Theodora Coleman's plans for transforming the space to host small events. Then the "what if" moment occurred - what if there had met, in that space long ago, a secret Fraternal society that sought to emulate the mysterious activities at the Cave of Trophonios? What if a cache of artifacts were discovered that gave a glimpse into their inner workings? What if that cache had been found before and re-hidden, but not before being subjected to scholarly investigation? What would that journal article reveal?


View the entire collection of F.S.O.S.T. artifacts available in the John Griswold collection.

Gift Wrap

If you would like your purchase/s gift wrapped, please leave us a note before completing your order. The opportunity to do so is presented while viewing the shopping cart before proceeding to checkout. This service is complimentary.

Gift Wrap

If you would like your purchase/s gift wrapped, please leave us a note before completing your order. The opportunity to do so is presented while viewing the shopping cart before proceeding to checkout. This service is complimentary.

Shipping & Returns

Orders that are placed on the Gold Bug website will be processed in 1-3 business days, leaving the store Monday through Friday, except in the event of a holiday or posted store closure.

You can request a required signature for the delivery of your order. We ship our packages using UPS as the carrier (except in the event of a union strike, in which case we will use USPS). All packages that leave the store are insured for their full amount. If you live in an area that is prone to theft, we recommend that you request "signature required" to ensure that you receive your purchase. 

Due to the nature of our products, we do not ship internationally.

Tax will be added to orders shipped within the state of California. Tax is never added to a package's shipping charge but will be added to the cost of any merchandise that is shipped within the state of California.

Discounted items cannot be returned or exchanged. All discounted items, this includes items purchased using codes, are final sales and cannot be returned or exchanged under any circumstance.

We accept returns on some items purchased on our website. Items purchased at full price on our website are eligible for return for the duration of 14 days after their receipt by the customer. Before returning the item, however, we must be notified of your intent with a phone call (626-744-9963) or email (info@goldbugpasadena.com). The returned piece/s must arrive in their original packaging and will be inspected to ensure their original and unworn condition before they are approved for a refund. Gold Bug will deduct any shipping costs it may have covered AS WELL AS 3% from the total amount of the oder to cover processing fees when issuing the refund.

Send Approved Returns to: Gold Bug 38 East Holly Street Pasadena CA 91103

We accept the return of online purchases to our physical location. You may return any piece/s purchased on our website to our physical location in Pasadena within 14 days of receiving it, but you must obtain authorization from us prior to your visit  by calling us at 626-744-9963 or emailing us at info@goldbugpasadena.com. Authorized returns must be made in their original packaging and unworn/unused condition to be considered for a refund or store credit, whichever you prefer. If Gold Bug covered any of the shipment cost, this amount will be deducted from your total credit amount. In the case of a refund, 3% will be deducted from the order amount to cover any processing fees incurred by Gold Bug. We retain the right to refuse the return of a piece.

Shipping & Returns

Orders that are placed on the Gold Bug website will be processed in 1-3 business days, leaving the store Monday through Friday, except in the event of a holiday or posted store closure.

You can request a required signature for the delivery of your order. We ship our packages using UPS as the carrier (except in the event of a union strike, in which case we will use USPS). All packages that leave the store are insured for their full amount. If you live in an area that is prone to theft, we recommend that you request "signature required" to ensure that you receive your purchase. 

Due to the nature of our products, we do not ship internationally.

Tax will be added to orders shipped within the state of California. Tax is never added to a package's shipping charge but will be added to the cost of any merchandise that is shipped within the state of California.

Discounted items cannot be returned or exchanged. All discounted items, this includes items purchased using codes, are final sales and cannot be returned or exchanged under any circumstance.

We accept returns on some items purchased on our website. Items purchased at full price on our website are eligible for return for the duration of 14 days after their receipt by the customer. Before returning the item, however, we must be notified of your intent with a phone call (626-744-9963) or email (info@goldbugpasadena.com). The returned piece/s must arrive in their original packaging and will be inspected to ensure their original and unworn condition before they are approved for a refund. Gold Bug will deduct any shipping costs it may have covered AS WELL AS 3% from the total amount of the oder to cover processing fees when issuing the refund.

Send Approved Returns to: Gold Bug 38 East Holly Street Pasadena CA 91103

We accept the return of online purchases to our physical location. You may return any piece/s purchased on our website to our physical location in Pasadena within 14 days of receiving it, but you must obtain authorization from us prior to your visit  by calling us at 626-744-9963 or emailing us at info@goldbugpasadena.com. Authorized returns must be made in their original packaging and unworn/unused condition to be considered for a refund or store credit, whichever you prefer. If Gold Bug covered any of the shipment cost, this amount will be deducted from your total credit amount. In the case of a refund, 3% will be deducted from the order amount to cover any processing fees incurred by Gold Bug. We retain the right to refuse the return of a piece.