# Hybrid Creatures and Chimeras

Across the entire surface of the openwork and richly ornamented censer, fantastic animals are caught in interlacing foliage. These scrolls and chimerical creatures, either confronted or back-to-back, are characteristic of the decorative repertoire used in Romanesque art. We can make out chimeras and griffins on the upper part, and phoenixes and other creatures on the lower part. This representation of the animal and plant world can symbolize divine creation.