Paperweight c. 1848 - 1855

This glass paperweight, crafted by Baccarat Glassworks, features a striking green and brown serpent coiled within. The snake, a potent symbol across cultures, carries a dual nature, embodying both healing and destruction. Consider the ancient Greek symbol of the Caduceus, where snakes intertwine around a staff, representing medicine and health. Yet, the serpent also appears as the tempter in the Garden of Eden, a figure of temptation and forbidden knowledge. In this paperweight, the snake's self-contained coil evokes the ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail, representing the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. The emotional weight of this symbol lies in its ability to tap into our primal fears and fascinations. This image, like the serpent itself, is not static. It transcends time, reappearing in various guises, constantly reinventing itself, reflecting our deepest anxieties and hopes.