Redware Bowl with Molded Snake-like Form on Rim Possibly 1450 - 1532

This redware bowl was crafted by the Inca people and is adorned with a molded, snake-like form along its rim. Snakes, throughout history and across cultures, have been a potent symbol of duality. They represent life and death, healing and poison, wisdom and chaos. Consider the serpent in ancient Greece, the symbol of medicine, or the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, of Mesoamerica, a deity of knowledge and creation. Here, the Inca artisan subtly integrates this universal emblem, perhaps to imbue the bowl with a sense of power. The curve of the snake appears in other contexts, such as the flow of water or the path of a lightning strike. The symbol is charged with a deep, subconscious connection, tapping into primal fears and awe. The snake, ever-present yet ever-changing, shows how symbols evolve, adapt, and resurface, carrying echoes of past beliefs into new cultural landscapes.