Paperweight c. 1845 - 1860

This is a paperweight featuring a snake, created at the Baccarat Glassworks. The snake, coiled within a seemingly tranquil setting, is a motif rich with historical and cultural significance. Since the earliest times it has appeared as a symbol of life and death, wisdom and deceit, healing and poison. One might recall the serpent in the Garden of Eden, its tempting presence forever altering humanity's path, or the caduceus, where snakes intertwine on a staff representing medicine and healing. Consider how the serpent's shedding of skin mirrors cycles of renewal and rebirth. The image of a snake swallowing its own tail—ouroboros—dates back to ancient Egypt and is a profound symbol of the eternal return. It is no wonder that this primal image resonates in our collective subconscious, evoking powerful and often conflicting emotions. Like the snake, images undergo constant metamorphosis, appearing, disappearing, and resurfacing, each time imbued with new, culturally specific meanings.