Year of the Snake Special: Animal Parade

£175.00

Part of my 'year of' range of zodiac animal inspired girls, here is one to celebrate the year of the snake, which runs from January 29th 2025 to February 16th 2026.

Snakes are found depicted in many different styles around the world, and one of the most ancient is the ourobouros, a circular motif or symbol depicting a snake (or dragon) eating its own tail. The name 'ourobouros' means 'tail devourer' in ancient Greek but the concept has been found in many cultures from Ancient Eqypt onwards - most commonly meaning the eternal cycle of life and death, destruction and rebirth. From the encyclopedia Britannica: 'Ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation.'

The oldest images I found called to mind the illuminated 'bestiaries' of the middle ages and earlier, and I found particular inspiration in the 'Aberdeen Bestiary', kept at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The website says 'A bestiary is a collection of short descriptions about all sorts of animals, real and imaginary, birds and even rocks, accompanied by a moralising explanation. Although it deals with the natural world it was never meant to be a scientific text and should not be read as such. Some observations may be quite accurate but they are given the same weight as totally fabulous accounts. The [Aberdeen] bestiary appeared in its present form in England in the twelfth century, as a compilation of many earlier sources, principally Physiologus. A great deal of its charm comes from the humour and imagination of the illustrations, painted partly for pleasure but justified as a didactic tool 'to improve the minds of ordinary people, in such a way that the soul will at least perceive physically things which it has difficulty grasping mentally: that what they have difficulty comprehending with their ears, they will perceive with their eyes'

Some bestiaries do contain images of creatures that resemble ourobouros, and so I have made a few wood girls which reference this - their bodies painted with images from the bestiary, with a separate snake eating its tail wooden ring, which can be worn by the wood girl as a necklace (if you have very slim hands it could also be worn as a bangle). This wood girl has a richly coloured parade of animals on her front with a branching tree on the reverse - all against a rich red-gold background. The ourobouros for this girl is an blue snake eating its tail.

My pieces are painted in a naïve and simple style, with visible brush strokes and differing paint consistencies. It is important to note that these dolls are made from real wood which will have naturally occurring markings and grain, and sometimes there will be small amount of bleeding along the grain, or knots, which is to be expected when using untreated wood - please make sure you consult the pictures carefully before purchasing. She has been finished in a top coat of matt acrylic.

A note about 'Wood Girls'
This girl was turned by a production turner to my design, and then hand painted in the U.K. by me, a British artist. I love exploring the patterns and scenes encountered by me on my travels and in daily life.

Stamped underneath with 'blue bear' in red ink.
Approximately 13.5cm high. Ourobouros ring: 9cm diameter.
Please note: THIS IS NOT A TOY and should be kept out of the reach of children under the age of 6.