Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Aztec, ca. 1325 to 1475 CE. A hand-carved stone serpent of exquisite form and expert skill that is coiled atop itself with the head and segmented tail meeting on top. Bulging eyes, thick lips, a raised snout, protruding fangs, and a forked tongue all create the reptilian visage, and deep grooves across the body give the serpent a dynamic sense of movement. Perhaps depicting Quetzalcoatl, the mythical serpent, this snake provides a fascinating illustration of Pre-Columbian iconography given its association with power, rebirth, transition, and renewal. Since snakes shed their skin annually, thus rejuvenating themselves, the ancients of Mexico viewed them as providing hope for the possibility of change in the face of adversity. Size: 10.25" L x 6.625" W x 6.7" H (26 cm x 16.8 cm x 17 cm)

A pair of Aztec stone serpents can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1 nearly identical under accession number 1979.206.477 and the other with its mouth closed under accession number 00.5.32. The curator's description of 00.5.32 points to other serpents depicted in ancient Mexican visual culture, "At the Main Temple in the Aztec imperial capital Tenochtitlan, serpent depictions proliferate: monumental snake heads, probably representing different species - with open fanged mouths and forked tongues - flank braziers and stairways leading to the sanctuaries. The temple itself is said to have been surrounded at the time of the Spanish conquest by a serpent wall, or Coatepantli, formed by hundreds of adjoining sculptures of snakes."

This serpent form represents Quetzalcoatl - "Feathered Serpent" in the Nahuatl language - the Pre-Columbian deity revered as lord of wind and sky. The earliest representations of Quetzalcoatl adorn the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in Teotihuacan, Mexico (ca. 3rd century CE) where numerous stone heads of the divine plumed snake embellish the steps of this Pre-Classic pyramid. The pioneering artist/anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias whose writings and illustrations on indigenous cultures of the ancient Americas continue to contribute to scholarly studies today stated, "Quetzalcoatl stood for all that was good in this world: peace, art, wisdom, and prosperity. Disguised as an ant, he discovered maize, the staple food of the Indians, hidden under the mountain of Substance, Tonacatepetl; he also invented the arts, the sciences, and the calendar. In fact, everything connected with wisdom and culture was attributed to Quetzalcoatl." (Miguel Covarrubias, Mexico South: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946), 130)

Cf. The Vilcek Foundation, accession number 2003.01.1

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Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection; ex-Dr. Milton M. Birnbaum collection, 1969

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#179735

Nicks and abrasions commensurate with age, with light amount of surface infill on some rough areas, and minor earthen deposits, otherwise intact and excellent. Wonderful preservation to form and finer details.