Gan Bronze Ring: Depiction of Double Serpent

Two serpents, one ring, and a taste for sculpture.

Gan metalworkers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, cast this ring with a double serpent in bronze in the 20th century. Rings with heavy sculptural tops are commonly worn as ornaments in the region and may carry protective meaning. Two serpent heads angle outward at the top, their bodies coiling downward into round loops with small openings. A fine crosshatch pattern marks the scales. The bronze is dark and blackened, with golden color along the raised ridges.

About 1.5 inches tall. Jewelry that thinks it is a sculpture.