Chinese Magician 1738 - 1745

Jean-Baptiste Perronneau etched this image of a Chinese Magician on paper. The figure holds a serpent, a symbol that coils through time, embodying both healing and destruction. Consider how the snake appears in ancient Greece as the emblem of Asclepius, god of medicine, its venom harnessed for curative purposes. Contrast this with its presence in the Garden of Eden, where it represents temptation and the fall from grace. This duality reveals our complex, subconscious relationship with primal forces. Notice too the magician's gaze, fixed on the serpent with a mixture of awe and control. This echoes the shamanistic traditions where the serpent is seen as a bridge to the spiritual world. Here we observe how symbols evolve, their meanings layered with each new cultural context. The serpent, thus, is not merely a reptile; it is a vessel of collective memory, resurrected in different guises, each reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of its age.