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Decorative Arts, Grand Tour, Obelisk Pair, Neoclassical, Stone, Italian, Antique, c. 1900

$1,500

Serpent Obelisk Pair
Italy: c. 1900
Marble with bronze mounts
13 inches high x 3 inches wide
$1,500

Pair of classical miniature obelisks, each of typical form tapering with pointed top, supported by four gilt metal heads of mythological serpents or birds on a rectangular platform, resting on a rectangular molded base. Overall each obelisk is in four joined sections of alternating yellow and rose-colored variegated hardstone, probably marble. They make excellent Grand Tour decoration suitable for table or shelf display.

Support for the theory that the four heads supporting the obelisk are serpents, rather than birds, relates to the ancient Serpent Column of Istanbul. As quoted from the University of Chicago’s Essays on the History and Culture of Rome, “serpents … were considered a talisman against snakes, the apotropaic power of the image being thought to turn the fearsome quality of the creature back upon itself.”

Condition:  Generally very good with the usual overall light wear and handling.

References:

Grout, James. “The Serpentine Column.” Encyclopaedia Romana, University of Chicago,penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/circusmaximus/serpentine.html. 24 May 2024.

Additional information

Century

c. 1900