Pre-Columbian, Mexico City region, Aztec, ca. 1425 to 1532 CE. A pretty jadeite pendant in the form of a serpent's grinning head. The jade is blue-green, blue especially in the lower profile areas of the form, and has been carved using drills and strings, then smoothed with sandstone. The pendant is pierced on its undecorated back and on its undecorated sides; only one face of the pendant is carved with the zoomorphic features. Shown in profile, the serpent has a curlicue nose, a large eye, a mouth full of teeth, and scale features on its neck. The shape of the face is very similar to that on the famous double-headed serpent mosaic pectoral currently at the British Museum (Am1894,-.634). Size: 0.75" L x 2.7" W x 1.25" H (1.9 cm x 6.9 cm x 3.2 cm)

In Aztec - and other Mesoamerican - iconography, the serpent is associated with fertility and water. The Nahuatl word for serpent is "coatl," and mythological serpents like the god Quetzalcoatl were believed to have the power to bridge between the different words of Aztec cosmology - the underworld, the sky, and the world of earth and water. As in many cultures around the world, their physical characteristics fascinated the Aztecs and lead them to conclude that they must have magical properties. Serpents - especially ones carved from jade, like this piece - were symbols of royal authority, and this pendant would have been worn for rituals and ceremonies as well as in the grave.

Provenance: private R.D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty five years from various major galleries

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#125813

Very slight wear from age and handling; small encrustation in the lower profile areas/drilled areas.