Large basin with snake, ferns, and bark 1845 - 1855

This large basin was crafted by Charles-Jean Avisseau in the 19th century. The snake, ferns, and bark are not mere decorations; they are potent symbols. The serpent, a central motif, has wound its way through human consciousness since time immemorial. In ancient cultures, it represented both healing and destruction, a duality deeply embedded in our collective psyche. Think of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a symbol of temptation and forbidden knowledge, or the caduceus, a symbol of medicine. Notice how Avisseau’s snake, coiled and watchful, evokes a sense of primal alertness. This imagery taps into our deepest fears and fascinations, echoing through epochs from ancient mythologies to modern psychoanalysis, where the snake often symbolizes the hidden aspects of the self. This basin is not just a beautiful object, but a vessel carrying the weight of centuries of symbolic meaning, still capable of stirring our emotions and subconscious.