Serpentine Symbology: Representations of Snakes in Art

The Serpent Ornament, currently residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an excellent example of Incan fiber arts. Made out of camelid hair and cotton, the sculptural textile was structured using cords and a vertical stem stitch around a core of cotton or wool (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  A non-weaving technique, though uncommon, could be used to create three-dimensional effigies such as this snake. The Incans were known for their textiles and textile arts have a tremendous cultural significance, along with the techniques utilized to create objects such as this one (Conklin 110). A chevron-like pattern alternates red, beige, black, and yellow stripes throughout the serpent's body.  The chevron pattern resulted from a cultural blend between the Incan Empire, through their textile technique, and the Chincha Kingdom under their control, who had an affinity for zig-zag motifs (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). The snake’s mouth hangs open and its red tongue is exposed, and its eyes are open wide and appear alert.

The serpent is a very prominent figure in both Incan mythology and cultural practice. In the Americas, cults often associated themselves with serpents, who are associated with water and rebirth due to their ability to shed their skin. Additionally, they were guardians due to their aggressive tendencies and ferocity(Mundkur 430). This work ties back to the Incan snake cult, explaining its use. This ornament was likely worn around the owner’s neck, then utilized in ritual combat known as ayllar, where the heavily corded snake would be spun and hurled toward oncoming enemies. Serpents were included in other ritual practices, through symbolic depictions in two-dimensional textiles and taqui yanyara dance rituals, where similarly colored ropes were used to mimic the movement and form of a snake (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). A major part of Incan religious ideology and practice, this revered serpent serves as a reminder of their significance. 

The Head of Medusa depicts a grisly scene of the recently slain and decapitated head of the gorgon Medusa. Painted in 1617-18 AD and currently residing in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, Peter Paul Rubens’ graphic painting is beautifully done, but invokes shock and a sense of disgust from the viewers. Medusa’s head is attributed to Peter Paul Rubens himself alongside his workshop, while the snakes and animals are attributed to animalier specialist Fans Snyder ( Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien). Serpents dominate this painting, making up the majority of Medusa’s hair. They writhe and twist together in a panic, and even the blood draining from her neck turns into snakes, which is accurate to Ovid’s account of the origins of snakes (Heinen 153). Among the snakes, there are other small creatures, including a salamander towards the bottom left, a spider, and a small scorpion. Near the base of her neck, we see a two headed mythological serpentine creature known as an ‘amphisbaena’ (Heinen 153-154).

Toward the right, there is a snake that appears to be giving live birth. Although most snakes lay eggs, there are a few species of snake that give live birth, showing the extensive knowledge of animals that Snyder had (Heinen 153) The snakes are engaged in copulation in multiple sections, as well as acts of violence among others, as seen in the top right and top center of the image.

This subject matter compares to the Door Knocker With Gorgon Head, from 16th century Venice and currently residing at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which likely serves a protective role. Throughout antiquity, Gorgons were apotropaic figures meant to ward off evil, frequently adorning temples and armor (Cleveland Museum of Art). This is an instance that utilizes the grotesque nature of the serpentine gorgon as a protective symbol to ward off danger, instead of one that evokes feelings of unease like Rubens's work, similar to the previous depiction from the Incan Empire. Within the Incan context, the serpent is meant to not only defend its user but to directly attack any oncoming threats. Despite Medusa’s serpentine hair and ability to turn her opponents into stone, she is defeated and the snakes are seen as helplessly trying to untangle themselves and escape.

This statue of Buddha sheltered by the seven-headed serpent, Mucalinda, made by an unknown artist between the 15th and 17th centuries, depicts a meditating Buddha surrounded by a serpentine figure known as Mucalinda. Originating from the Khmer Empire, the statue currently resides in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The statue is carefully carved out of sandstone and shows naturalistic proportions with slightly stylized facial features. Buddha is identifiable through his elongated earlobes, resulting from the earrings he would have worn as a prince, and the superhuman cranial protuberance known as an ushnisha (Neave 15). He sits in a meditative trance, with one leg resting partially on top of the other, a Cambodian variant of an Indian pose.  His hands similarly lay on top of one another, a dhyani mudra, or a ‘gesture of meditation', another pose inspired by Indian buddhist art (Marcus, 258). This Indian influence is indicative of the origins of Cambodian buddhism, as India introduced it to the region. Mucalinda coils beneath him, lifting him up. Mucalinda himself features detailed scales throughout his body, and there is a lotus motif on his back. His seven heads, which appear through the serpent’s cobra-like hood, attentively look over Buddha to protect him from harm. 

This depiction of Buddha with Mucalinda is reminiscent of a specific story from the Buddha’s life. In the story Buddha sits under a tree to meditate, but while in a trance a massive storm approaches and the land starts to flood. Mucalinda emerges from the tree he is sitting beneath and coils underneath Buddha, lifting him up, and utilizing his seven heads and hood as a canopy to protect Buddha from inclement weather (Marcus 258). Mucalinda is a 7-headed serpentine entity known as a naga. The nagas are serpent deities that serve as guardian spirits, protecting both water and earth (Museum of New South Wales).  Utilizing the mucalinda is indicative of a larger trend depicting serpents as guardians, prominent in Cambodia in addition to Egypt and India. Mucalinda’s presence in this work and the prominence of nagas in south-Asian Buddhist art demonstrate the significance of serpents as protective deities. Mucalinda does not defend Buddha due to his ferocity and aggressive nature like the Incan Serpent Ornament, but uses his status as a guardian of both water and earth to protect Buddha from natural disaster. This scene evokes feelings of peace. This again shows a very different view of serpents as guardians and protectors, compared to Ruben’s Medusa, whose decapitated head conveys a grotesque and feared, not revered, view of serpents.