Horse Collar c. 1941

Sydney Roberts rendered this horse collar with watercolor. A seemingly mundane object, yet it carries the weight of human-animal relationships, of labor and sustenance, across time. The collar, a loop, recalls the ancient symbol of Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. It represents cyclicality, continuity, and the eternal return. In ancient Egypt, this symbol was seen as an emblem of the sun’s journey. Now, we see it repurposed, connecting to the domestication of animals and agrarian life. The shift from divine symbol to agricultural tool speaks volumes about human progress and the transformation of cultural symbols. A shift that invites us to consider how deeply rooted symbols shape our understanding, even when applied to the most common objects.