Gan Depiction of Serpent Protector, Based
Product ID: A1900-016
$1,895.00
About this piece
Long, slow, and coiled like a thought you haven’t finished having.
Gan craftsmen of Burkina Faso, West Africa, cast this serpent in bronze in the early 20th century. Serpents in West African metalwork are often associated with protection and with guardianship of a household or shrine. This one is a tall, narrow figure in a loose S-curve, the head at the top with a small raised crest, the body marked with fine incised bands. It is mounted on a black stand so that it seems to rise. The metal is dark grey-brown with a worn, silvery gleam along the ridges.
About fourteen inches tall. A line drawn in bronze, and a good one for a narrow shelf.
