The bright turquoise skin and open jaws were intended to both impress and terrify the beholder. The white shell used for the teeth comes from shells of the edible queen conch. [6] If you have time (or a special interest) donât forget to see the ancient exhibits in Asia and China in rooms 33 and 33a (Jade collection). Many theories suggest the symbolic significance of the serpent imagery. Colossal quartzite statue of Amenhotep III, Amun in the form of a ram protecting King Taharqa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Double-headed_serpent&oldid=1008812155, Artefacts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas in the British Museum, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 February 2021, at 04:47. The snake features strongly in the gods that the people worshiped. Photo about Turquoise mosaic of double-headed serpent from Mexico in British museum, London, UK. Turquoise evoked new growth, water and the feathers of the quetzal bird, which were worn by priests during ceremonies. McEwan, Middleton, Cartwright & Stacey / Turquoise Mosaics From Mexico, McEwan 1994 / Ancient Mexico in the British Museum, McEwan 2009 / Ancient American Art in Detail, MacGregor 2010 / A History of the World in 100 Objects, King et al 2012 / Turquoise in Mexico and North America, Cartwright and Meeks 2007 / Aztec conch shell working: high-tech design. Made over 500 years ago, this icon of Aztec art is admired for its symmetry, beauty and colour. Head of Serpent (detail), Mosaic of a Double-headed Serpent, c. 15th-16th century, cedrela wood, turquoise, pine resin, oyster shell, hematite, and copal, 20.5 x 43.3 x 6.5 cm, Mexico © Trustees of the British Museum. ... Double-headed serpent. This category covers a particular Double Headed Serpent in the British museum. The word coatl is also part of many place names, such as Coatepec ("the hill of the serpents"). Cortés arrived on the coast of what is now Mexico in 1519, and after battles he entered the capital on November 8, 1519 and was met with respect, if not favour, by the Aztec ruler Montezuma II. This sculpture featured in A History of the World in 100 Objects, a series of radio programmes that started in 2010 as a collaboration between the BBC and the British Museum. The double-headed serpent is one of the most highly crafted and strangely compelling of these rare Aztec survivals. Aztec turquoise mosaic double-headed serpent. It is a snake with two heads composed of mostly turquoise pieces applied to a wood base, it is one of nine mosaics of similar material in the British Museum; there are thought to be about 25 such pieces from that period in the whole of Europe. Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Museum. The Double-headed serpent is a sculpture made by the Aztecs in the 15th or 16th century.It can be found in the British Museum.. It came from Aztec Mexico and might have been worn or displayed in religious ceremonies. Turquoi⦠The Aztec civilization was organized into city-states, some of which joined to form alliances, political confederations, or empires. This serpent would have made an valuable item of tribute- an example of the fearsome Aztecs.[10]. ð This double-headed serpent mosaic is decorated with turquoise, coral and shell. Image of double, horror, concept - 122502558 The back side has been hollowed out, possibly to make the sculpture lighter. It has been proposed that the serpent was a symbol of rebirth because of its ability to shed its old skin and appear as a reborn snake. Turquoise stones were broken in small, flat tesserae and adhered to the wooden body with pine resin. By using 2,000[5] small pieces, the flat pieces of stone give the impression of a faceted, curvilinear surface. This sculpture is one of nine Mexican turquoise mosaics in the British Museum. Period/Style. A single block of Spanish cedar wood forms the sculpture's base. Mosaic of a double-headed serpent | The British Museum Images. View and buy royalty free and rights managed stock photos at The British Museum Images. The outer body of the two-headed snake is covered in a mosaic of turquoise, accented by red spiny oyster. [3][7], It is not known how this sculpture left Mexico, but it is considered possible that it was among the goods obtained by conquistador Hernán Cortés when he was sent to take the interior of Mico for the Spanish crown. Curled around the figure is a green double-headed serpent. He describes the Aztec world and the Spanish conquest of this culture, through a double-headed serpent made from tiny pieces of turquoise - one of the stars of the British Museum. British Museum. Both of the snakes' faces have one hole for an eye and a mouth filled with white fangs. A double-headed snake made of wood, covered with turquoise mosaics and decorated with oyster and conch shell. However, the best known craftsmen for their turquoise mosaics were not the Aztecs but the Mixtecs. Neil Macgregor credits Henry Christy with gathering similar artifacts into the British Museum.[9]. It is possible that this sculpturemay be one of the gifts given by the Azte⦠[5], The heads of the serpents have holes for eyes, and remaining traces of beeswax and resin may have once held objects representing eyes, possibly orbs of iron pyrite (Fool's Gold). The sculpture is of an undulating serpent with heads of each side. We use cookies to make our website work more efficiently, to provide you with more personalised services or advertising to you, and to analyse traffic on our website. Itâs the main object, in our historical trajectory, representing Aztec culture, and itâs an example of how too much symbolism can get projected onto one object. the double headed serpent is known to have been a _____ which was worn by _____ hanging from chests for _____ or _____ pectoral, indigenous rulers, ritual, ceremony. It is an example of Mexica (Aztec) art and measures about 17 inches wide by 8 inches high by two inches thick. Today he is with an object made by the Aztecs of present day Mexico. View and buy royalty free and rights managed stock photos at The British Museum Images. [8] Cortés was given a number of valuable gifts, which included turquoise sculptures, and possibly this serpent. Despite the gifts and the peaceful reception, Montezuma was taken prisoner by Cortés and his troops took Montezuma's capital, Tenochtitlan, by 1521. The Double-headed serpent looks like two wavy snakes acting as the other's tail. [2] The mosaic is made of pieces of turquoise, spiny oyster shell and conch shell. Cedar wood, turquoise, pine resin, oyster shell. What is it? This double-headed serpent is carved from a single piece of ⦠The serpent was one of the symbols of Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god, and would have been worn as a pendant by a high priest. The Aztecs were brutally and systematically enslaved and murdered, in spite of their generosity. âThe Double-Headed Serpent and the Origin of the Name Musqueam,â as told by mÉnÌeÊɬ â James Point, 1963. [7] Cleverly, the adhesive used to attach the Spondylus princeps[4] shell has been colored with red iron oxide (hematite) to complete the design. There are considered to be only 25 Mexican turquoise mosaics in Europe from this period.[1]. Some sources report that Montezuma thought that Cortés was the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl and treated him accordingly. The animation is projected on the featured 25'x10' wall for one of the award-winning museum exhibition series, cÌÉsnaÊÉm the city before the city at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) between January 2015 and January 2020. The much smaller original of this two-headed serpent (now in the British Museum) dates from the 14th or 15th century and is made of wood, encrusted with a mosaic of turquoise and shell. Buy Culture Spot Premium Aztec Double Headed Rattlesnake Serpent Wall Hanging | British Museum, London 15th Century Quality Replica | Measures 18.5 Inches Wide: Statues - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases An examination of an Aztec ornament depicting a double-headed serpent, carved in wood and covered with turquoise mosaic, which is believed to have been worn on ceremonial occasions. For more information on how we use cookies and how to manage cookies, please follow the 'Read more' link, otherwise select 'Accept and close'. The double-headed serpent is fashioned of a multitude of tiny turquoise stones along with conch and Spondylus shells, glued with copal and pine resin onto a ⦠The Double-headed serpent is an Aztec sculpture kept at the British Museum. The Double-headed serpent is an Aztec sculpture kept at the British Museum.Composed of mostly turquoise pieces applied to a wood base, it is one of nine mosaics of similar material in the British Museum; there are thought to be about 25 such pieces from that period in the whole of Europe. It is a snake with two heads composed of mostly turquoise pieces applied to a wood base, it is one of nine mosaics of similar material in the British Museum; there are thought to be about 25 such pieces from that period in the whole of Europe. The double-headed serpent is fashioned of a multitude of tiny turquoise stones along with conch and Spondylus shells, glued with copal and pine resin onto a ⦠British Museum; C. Cyrus Cylinder; D. Double-headed serpent; E. Elgin Marbles; R. Rosetta Stone This page was last changed on 22 March 2013, at 08:20. The Double-headed serpent is an Aztec sculpture kept at the British Museum. The outer body of the two-headed snake is covered in a mosaic of turquoise, accented by red spiny oyster. [2] It is possible that this sculpture may be one of the gifts given by the Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II, to Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés when he invaded in 1519. A single block of cedar wood (Cedrela odorata)[4] forms the sculpture's base. The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico from 1300 to 1521. [2], The Cortés antiquities arrived in Europe in the 1520s and caused great interest; however, it is said that other turquoise mosaics ended their days in jewellers' shops in Florence where they were dismantled to make more contemporary objects. The back side has been hollowed out, possibly to make the sculpture lighter. They then fell victim to smallpox and other European diseases brought to Mexico by Cortés and his troops. This double-headed serpent is one of the most highly crafted and strangely compelling of these rare Aztec survivals. [1] It came from Aztec Mexico and might have been worn or displayed in religious ceremonies. Pages in category "British Museum" The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. The Aztec empire was a confederation of three city-states established in 1427. On Wednesday, April 6th, a new Musqueam house post carved by Brent Sparrow Jr. called sÊi:ɬqÉyÌ qeqÉn (double-headed serpent post) was dedicated at UBCâs Vancouver campus with hundreds of people from the UBC and Musqueam communities in attendance. It may have been a representation of the earth and underworld with each head representing one. The back, once gilded, is not plain, and only the heads have decorations on both sides. The back, once gilded, is now plain, and only the heads have decorations on both sides. [3], The sculpture is of an undulating serpent with heads on each side. It is made of turquoise chips of stone and has a wooden block for its base. Donated in appreciation of the British Museum's support for the donor's PhD, 2013-2017 through the British Museum's collaborative doctoral award scheme. In the British Museum there is an Aztec sculpture of a double-headed serpent, presumed to be a gift to the 15th Century Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. Although the term Aztecs is often restricted to the critical city of Mexica of Tenochtitlan, it is also broadly used to refer to Nahua peoples of central Mexico in the prehispanic era, as well ⦠In Mesoamerica, serpents were associated with regeneration, and were thought to be able to move between the worlds of the living and the dead. Aztec Double-Headed Serpent Trustees of the British Museum. It is therefore no coincidence that four double-headed serpents, worn as bracelets and anklets in the monumental sculpture of his vanquished sister Coyolxauhqui, excavated at the Templo Mayor. Directed by Ian Michael Jones. Medium. by The British Museum. ⦠The turquoise was cut and ground using stone tools. The serpent is believed to represent the underworld and powers of rebirth, the ability to shed one skin and inhabit another multiple times throughout the course of a lifetime. [1] It came from Aztec Mexico and might have been worn or displayed in religious ⦠The serpent is made out of about 2,000 small pieces of turquoise set on to a curved wooden frame, about 40 centimetres (16 inches) wide and half as high. Right-hand head of Aztec double-headed serpent, British Museum: In February 1899, a cargo ship brought to Sydney, Australia, the skeletal remains of a huge âtwo-headed sea serpentâ â said originally to weigh seventy tons and extend sixty feet in length â that was found on a beach on Rakahanga island in the Solomons. The serpent is made up of about two ⦠Both the colour green and serpents signified fertility, and ensuring land fertility was at the heart of most Aztec ceremonies. Some of the turquoise was imported to Mesoamerica from approximately 1,600 km to the northwest, from the Four Corners Region of Oasisamerica where the Ancestral Pueblo people mined the stone. The sculpture is now in the possession of the British Museum and was purchased by the Christy Fund. Appearance. Aztec Art. The videos below can be seen on Smarthistory because The British Museum generously makes their videos available for distribution. Rendered in Salish formline design. That concludes part 2 of this personal selection of must-see exhibits at the British Museum. At the height of the Aztec Empire, many Mixtec towns came under Aztec rule had to pay tribute to the emperor, including gifts of gold and turquoise. This double-headed serpent is one of the most beautiful objects in the British Museum. Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. Department Africa, Oceania and the Americas. It was carved from a single piece of cedar wood over 500 years ago, before the mosaic was attached using pine resin. With Daniel Evans, Elizabeth Baquedano, Caroline Dodds Pennock, Steven Gregory. AztecSerpent.JPG 2,560 × 1,920; 2.38 MB. The elephant-headed Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu gods -- the creator and remover of of obstacles. Mosaic of a double-headed serpent | The British Museum Images. The post tells an origin story of the Musqueam involving a two-headed serpent: The feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, patron of priests and symbol of death and resurrection was important to Mixtec religion,[2] but other gods also had serpentine characteristics. Media in category "Double-headed serpent" The following 23 files are in this category, out of 23 total. No one knows how the piece was discovered or made its way to Europe The turquoise mosaic of a double-headed serpent is one of the most alluring objects in the British Museum Mexican Gallery. It was also featured in Historium, a collection of ancient objects from all over the world. The must-see exhibits at the British Museum (Part 1) Should any other double headed serpents be found then this cat would be a member of that category. The vivid contrast of the red and white details on the head have been made from oyster shell and conch shell respectively. This is the time of huge European expansion thanks to the new developments in ship building. Double-headed serpent Eagle Warrior Mosaic mask of Tezcatlipoca Stone kneeling figure of Chalchiuhtlicue Aztec feathered headdress Aztec art and feasts for the dead ... C. McEwan, Ancient Mexico in the British Museum (London, The British Museum Press, 1994). "Masterpieces of the British Museum" The Aztec Double-Headed Serpent (TV Episode 2006) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
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