| Double-headed serpent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Wood,turquoise, pine resin, shell, and others |
| Size | 20.5 by 43.3 cm |
| Created | 15th/16th century |
| Place | Made inMexico |
| Present location | Room 27,British Museum, London |
TheDouble-headed serpent is anAztec sculpture. It is asnake with two heads composed of mostlyturquoise pieces applied to a wooden base. It might have been worn or displayed in religious ceremonies.[1] The mosaic is made of pieces of turquoise,spiny oyster shell and conch shell.[2] The sculpture is at theBritish Museum.
The sculpture is of an undulating serpent with heads on each side. A single block of cedar wood (Cedrela odorata)[3] forms the sculpture's base. The back side has been hollowed out, possibly to make the sculpture lighter. The back, once gilded, is now plain, and only the heads have decorations on both sides. The outer body of the two-headed snake is covered in a mosaic of turquoise, accented by red spiny oyster. Turquoise stones were broken in small, flattesserae and adhered to the wooden body with pine resin. By using 2,000[4] small pieces, the flat pieces of stone give the impression of a faceted, curvilinear surface. The turquoise was cut and ground using stone tools.[5] Some of the turquoise was imported to Mesoamerica from approximately 1,600 km to the northwest, from theFour Corners Region ofOasisamerica where theAncestral Pueblo people mined the stone.[4]
The heads of the serpents have holes for eyes, and remaining traces ofbeeswax andresin may have once held objects representing eyes, possibly orbs ofiron pyrite (Fool's Gold). The vivid contrast of the red and white details on the head have been made fromoyster shell andconch shell respectively.[6] The adhesive used to attach theSpondylus princeps[3] shell has been colored with red iron oxide (hematite) to complete the design. The white shell used for the teeth comes from shells of the ediblequeen conch.[2][6]
It is not known how this sculpture left Mexico, but it is considered possible that it was among the goods obtained byconquistadorHernán Cortés when he took the interior of Mexico for the Spanish crown. Cortés arrived on the coast of what is now Mexico in 1519, and after battles he entered the capital on November 8, 1519 and was met with respect, if not favour, by the Aztec rulerMoctezuma II (Montezuma). Some sources report that Moctezuma thought that Cortés was thefeathered serpent godQuetzalcoatl and treated him accordingly.[7] However, scholars such as Matthew Restall claim this idea was a Spanish invention used as propaganda.[8]
Either way, Cortés was given a number of valuable gifts, which included turquoise sculptures, and possibly this serpent. Despite the gifts and the peaceful reception, Moctezuma was taken prisoner by Cortés and his troops took Moctezuma's capital,Tenochtitlan, by 1521. They then fell victim tosmallpox and other old world diseases brought to Mexico by Cortés and his troops.[1]
The Cortés antiquities arrived in Europe in the 1520s and caused great interest; however, it is said that other turquoise mosaics ended their days in jewellers' shops in Florence where they were dismantled to make more contemporary objects.Neil Macgregor creditsHenry Christy with gathering similar artifacts into the British Museum.[9] The sculpture is at the British Museum, purchased from whereabouts unknown by the Christy Fund.
This sculpture is one of nine Mexican turquoise mosaics in the British Museum. There are considered to be only 25 Mexican turquoise mosaics in Europe from this period.[10]
Many theories suggest the symbolic significance of the serpent imagery. It has been proposed that the serpent was a symbol of rebirth because of its ability to shed its old skin and appear as a reborn snake. It may have been a representation of the earth and underworld with each head representing one. The snake features strongly in the gods that the people worshiped. The feathered serpent godQuetzalcoatl, patron of priests and symbol of death and resurrection was important toMixtec religion,[1] but other gods also had serpentine characteristics.
However, the best known craftsmen for their turquoise mosaics were not the Aztecs but the Mixtecs. At the height of the Aztec Empire, many Mixtec towns came under Aztec rule had to pay tribute to the emperor, including gifts of gold and turquoise. This serpent would have made a valuable item of tribute- an example of the fearsome Aztecs.[11]
This sculpture featured inA History of the World in 100 Objects, a series of radio programs that started in 2010 as a collaboration between theBBC and the British Museum. It was also featured in Historium, a collection of ancient objects from all over the world.[12]
| Preceded by | A History of the World in 100 Objects Object 78 | Succeeded by |
