Sold out

Year of the Snake Special: Snakes & Ladders

£175.00

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

The game of snakes and ladders has its origins in India as a moral guide for children, and was brought to UK in the 1890's as a board game. After throwing the die, each player moves along the squares of the board - if you land on the base of a ladder you can climb up and be helped along, but land on the head of snake and you slide back down to the tail square. The Indian version of the game had more pitfalls - more snakes than ladders, the English version had equal numbers of each. This wood girl version is painted in the vintage colours of a 1950's style board with two mini wood girls as player pieces and a wooden die (and an escaped snake!) in her hair.

Snakes are the sixth animal in the zodiac, coming after the dragon and before the horse. People born in the year of the snake are said to be intuitive, introverted and enigmatic with the ability to remain calm during a crisis. They are often creative and have excellent taste. They don't like to fail which makes them doubly determined to accomplish their goals. They are intelligent and wise, good communicators but can say little and can be emotionally detached. They can be easily stressed if not left to get on with a task.

Lucky numbers for snakes are 1 and 8 and lucky colours are red and black.

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 23cm high.
Please note: THIS IS NOT A TOY and should be kept out of the reach of children.

1 of 10