Heraldic Device: A Circular Design with a Ram's Head Framed by a Dragon Biting its Own Tail 1572 - 1585

This ink drawing presents a heraldic device featuring a ram's head encircled by a dragon biting its own tail. The Ouroboros, the tail-eating serpent, is an ancient symbol of cyclicality, of endings and beginnings intertwined. It speaks to eternity, the endless return, and perhaps, the self-devouring nature of existence. The ram, often associated with Aries, suggests themes of leadership, initiation, and assertive energy. Together, these symbols create a potent emblem, an unconscious pull toward themes of renewal and the eternal dance of destruction and creation. Consider the image of a snake eating its own tail. In alchemy, this speaks of purification and transformation; however, there is a darker, more sinister connotation to this image, in which the snake is forever trapped consuming itself. This symbol, passed down through history, reveals our complex, subconscious grappling with time, change, and the inherent tensions within the human condition.