Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

Jameson’s mamba snake by Mattias Klum , Cameroon

National Geographic

 

 

Ancient clay beaker with snake motif ca. 4000 BCE; excavated at Susa, Mesopotamia.

Louvre

 

 

Snakebite in the garden

 

Like many people, I have found the snake to be a mysterious, exotic and unnerving creature to witness. My first serpent encounter was at the age of 7 when I leapt into a sandy pit, only to leap straight out again as a snake was using it for sun baking. A few years later at a mountain retreat I jumped off a stone embankment landing next to what I thought was a car tyre, which then suddenly slithered off into the long grass displaying its large girth, black snake skin and length of around 20 feet. My third close encounter happened in India when a snake appeared from a rice field and slid past, brushing the feet of my outstretched legs as I was coming out of a meditation on the veranda. After three fortunately benign snake episodes the next one was different. After emptying the grass catcher while mowing the lawn 7 months ago, I was surprised to see my finger was bleeding. Upon inspection I noticed the twin prong marks about 3/4 inch apart. I knew immediately it was a snake bite and came inside to have a cup of tea and think about my plan of action.

 

 

“A lifetime is like a flash of lighting in the sky, rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.” ~ Gautama Buddha. Contemplation of the transience of lifetimes aside, I was already feeling a trippy light headedness and was in some sort of transcendent zone, maybe provoked by the adrenaline. After washing the wound, I discovered this should be avoided as it makes it harder to identify the venom. Also apparently, it’s not a good idea to ingest anything as this can draw the venom to the stomach. Part of a snakes stealth weaponry is you don’t really feel the bite as it happens, which was my experience. I also didn’t identify the snake and I chose to relax rather then exert energy looking for it as minimizing blood circulation is also beneficial. I got a Japanese salted umeboshi plum and put it on the bite. This works similar to a charcoal and clay poultice in the the yang of the plum draws out the yin venom. The venom incidentally had a odor like nothing else I had encountered.

My intuitive instinct was to relax rather then rush off to the hospital, so I just chilled on the sofa without dozing off. Calmness is imperative for a body trying to deal with a venom hit. The onset of a headache is a bad sign, as it indicates that the liver is struggling with the detox, but thankfully this didn’t happen. The only negative that came from this experience was I felt like I had concussion the next day and had been subjected to some sort of brain format, where I struggled to recall passwords and other details. I think the venom was of the neurotoxic type as my nerves became hypersensitive for months but I now feel fully recovered. Unless you live close to a medical facility, I don’t recommend this course of action because basically, I took a huge risk.

Snakes are a symbol of healing and primal energy. In art, the Naginis (female serpent spirits) are regarded as figures of beauty. In many Hindu societies, snakes are worshiped as guardians of the home; and it is said that when a snake enters your life, there will be a new birth of creativity and wisdom. I can’t claim I feel wiser or more creative, but I never believe things just happen for no particular reason.

 

Art of serpents and other reptiles

 

Bas Relief  ‘Mowgli Le Livre De Le Jungle’  —  Raymond Delamarre

-1927-

 

 

Astrid Tshidibu – Photographer Meiji Nguyen

 

 

Aboriginal Snake — thatmusic

deviantART

 

 

Veruschka —  photo by Michel Comte

 

 

Cretan helmet with the image of Hermes and Caducea coiled snakes

7th century BCE.

 

 

‘Lord Krishna Dancing on Serpent Kaliya’ – Bronze Statue from Swamimalai, India

 

 

 

‘Tree Serpent Flame Fairyland’ Vase by Wedgwood

1stDibs

 

 

Eight sided Chinese porcelain box with snake lid handle

 

 

German Art Deco snake charmer, porcelain figurine

 

 

Moche stirrup-spout bottle with snake, Peru, 2nd–3rd C.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

 

 

 

Dramatic Mario Boschi Gold ‘Medusa’ Diamond Enamel Snake Pin

 

 

Olivia Dominguez Snake ceramic Olla

 

 

 

Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri painting – ‘Snake Dreaming’

1992

 

 

Sedona bronze sculpture ‘Caduceus’ kundalini  – James Muir, USA

 

 

Black marble  ‘Entwined Serpent’ sculpture from Mahabalipuram, India

 

 

Hertwig Katzhutte art deco porcelain lady figurine, ecstatic snake dancer

 

 

Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher, ‘Thomon (The Water Snake) and Guiree (The Flying Fox)’ 

Joel Fine Art

 

 

 

Anang artist, Mami Wata water deity figure

Africa

 

 

Art Deco cobra recliner

1930’s

 

 

Pastor Mack Wolford – Full Gospel Apostolic House of the Lord Jesus, one of the few remaining small Appalachian Pentecostal sects. He died at a later date from a snake bite.

 

 

Bernard Palissy — photo by Paul Starosta

 

 

Beth Ozarow— ‘Snake Man’ clay figure

Artful Home

 

 

Moving snake in the jungle – photo by Quentin Martinez, Borneo

 

 

The Hindu God Vishnu standing on a Naga – Bronze Statue

 

 

 ‘The Chameleon’  Photo: Christian Ziegler, World Press Photo.

 

 

Chinese Baluster Vase with celadon crackle Glaze Finish High Relief Dragons

 

 

Directly carved sculpture on a block of Préhite representing iguanas – Édouard Marcel Sandoz

 

 

Washington Ledesma’s ceramic vase

 

 

‘Femme au Serpent’ by Lithuanian born French artist Jacques Lipchitz

Bronze, dark brown patina, 24 in.

 

5 foot wild Goanna paying a visit

 

 

 

The ‘Gundestrup cauldron’ is a richly decorated silver vessel, thought to date from between 200 BC and 300 AD

 

 

‘Head of Manasa’, the serpent goddess, Eastern India, Gupta period, early 6th century, Terracotta.

 

 

Herend water pitcher with lizard handle, Hungry

 

 

Iguana sculpture

 

 

 Robert Wogensky Aubusson Mid Century Atomic Tapestry –  ‘Serpent d’Etoile’

France, 1965

 

 Jean Dunand serpent panel

France

 

 

Jessica Wulandari Suarsa- photo-John Marshall

Australia

 

 

Frederic Leighton ‘Athlete Wrestling with a Python’ 

Tate Britain

 

 

Carlos Loya  – Lizard Bowl Cazuela

Mata Ortiz Pottery

 

 

Matthew Patton  – Shino Wiggle plate

 

 

Migrating Aussie snake

 

 

Vase with snake and frog relief – Mitchell Grafton

 

 

Figure of Nagini, Ramappa Temple, Palampet,

Andhra Pradesh, India

 

 

Pale blue dragon handled vase  C H Brannam Ltd

1897

 

Rudolph Tegner  – ‘Hercules and the Hydra’

Rudolph Tegners Museum, Dronningmølle, Denmark

 

 

Satsuma Plate, round, with three dragons in low relief surrounding

Japan, 20th century,

 

 

Art Deco female holding serpent sculpture – Signed Isdrebrad

 

 

‘Celestial Serpent’ —  South Australian aerial landscape digital  art by post author

 

 

‘Snake Charmer’ bronze statue by Charles Arthur Bourgeois

Butchoff Antiques – London

 

 

 

 ‘Lying Lizard ‘porcelain figurine – Herend,

 

 

Two lizard vase by Nancy Yturriaga Adams

 

 

The Croc Hunter – Steve and Bindi Irwin

 

 

Minoan Snake Goddess  —  painting by John Duncan

 

 

The temple of Vitthala carved wall relief art, Hampi,- Jean Pierre Dalbéra

India

 

Tjapaltjarri, Clifford Possum, ‘Goanna Dreaming’ painting

 

 

Three Mothers bathstone sculpture

 

 

Tjapaltjarri, Clifford Possum,- ‘Snake Dreaming’

 

 

Yaritji Jack- serpent vase

 

 

Tjapaltjarri, Clifford Possum – ‘Two Snakes at Alinittiti’

Australia,  1972

 

 

Zuni Pueblo Hand Made Lizard Bowl

 

 

Gabriele Pfister collection – French ceramic relief snake on pot

 

 

 

Emily Ulrich – 2017 ceramic snake sculpture

 

 

Snake Vase Masterpiece by Julia Zsolnay

 

 

Naga serpent multi-head sculpture

 

 

Live snake in wild – Field Naturalists Club of Victoria photo

 

 

 

Elegia del Barro

 

Feathered Serpent exhibition by Alessandra Foletti – 10th  to 24th April , 2018

Cultural  center and Art Gallery of Banco Atlantida, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

 

 

The Plumed (or Feathered) Serpent is a Mesoamerican god and myth. Among the Aztecs and Toltecs this divinity went by the name of Quetzalcoatl and to the Maya he was known as Kukulcan.

The Feathered serpent is regarded as the god of winds and rain and is associated with thunder, storms and waterways. The zigzag and meandering lines of the serpent or snake are symbolic of water and the feathers represent the ability of the feathered serpent to fly. The Feathered serpent symbol represents life and the renewal of life, just like water. He was also considered the patron god of priests and merchants and considered the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts and the arts.

 

Quetzalcoatl wears around his neck the wind breastplate (ehecailacocozcatl), with the spirally voluted wind jewel made of a conch shell.

 

Serpienteem Plumada — Allesandra Foletti

Honduras

 

Male feathered snake — Alessandra Foletti

 

 

‘Cosmic feathered snake’ – Alessandra Foletti