Spectacular Serpents for the New Season

Two serpentine treasures in The Met’s holdings of Egyptian art sparked our imagination for new fall jewelry.

Our timeless Egyptian Cobra Brooch is informed by the snake motif on a small, less than five-square-inch relief plaque crafted in the Late Period (ca. 664–332 BCE)–Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE) sometime between 400–30 BCE. 

The plaque belongs to a special class of object that decidedly presents an unfinished depiction of a subject, but is considered a complete work in itself. In many cases, the depiction was deemed an unsuitable representation of formal subjects, including personifications of kingship and certain gods. Sometimes referred to by Egyptologists as "sculptor’s models” or “sculptor’s votives," these tiny plaques appear to have been part of a donation practice, perhaps connected with the prolific building of temples at the time.

Also new for fall 2025 is the Jeweled Snake 14K Gold-Plated Sterling Silver Jewelry, embellished with pops of semiprecious malachite, sapphire, and emerald. This demi-fine collection, which includes a pendant necklace, a bracelet, a ring, and earrings, reimagines a Roman-period Egyptian gold bracelet (1st century CE) in the form of a coiled snake. 

Bracelets with animals, including snakes, appeared in western Asia as far back as the 8th century BCE and spread to Greece (where the snake possessed healing associations, among others) in the 5th century BCE before arriving in Egypt, where examples of serpentine jewelry were crafted throughout the Ptolemaic (332–30 BCE) and Roman (ca. 30 BCE–364 CE) periods.

For the slightly snake-squeamish, our French Serpent Drop Earrings merely hint at the ophidian detailing on two spectacular French vases (1789) displayed in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts galleries. 

Produced by the Royal Porcelain Manufactory at Sèvres (French, 1740–present) on the eve of the French Revolution in 1789, the Museum's splendid pair—small in scale but imposing in their opulence—perfectly suited the intimate albeit extravagant interiors that were fashionable in late 18th-century France. Both vases are painted with so-called arabesque ornamentation, which favored floral and faunal motifs. The graceful snakes that form the handles beautifully complement these elegant triumphs of decorative art.

Last but not least, our Serpentine Hoop Earrings display a sinuous snake motif derived from the finial on a rare 16th-century wine cup. These stylish 14K gold vermeil hoops lend an artful touch to your everyday look.

The Museum’s cup, made of Ming dynasty–era Chinese porcelain (ca. 1507–66) with British gilded-silver mounts (ca. 1570), bears the maker's mark of Affabel Partridge (British, active ca. 1551–1580). Partridge worked as a goldsmith to Queen Elizabeth I, who was presented with a similar mounted cup in 1582. The red-glazed ground of the cup was originally decorated with a finely drawn gold decoration, which has now largely worn off. This style of painting in gold on a colored ground was produced in China primarily for the Japanese market, where it was termed kinrande ("gold brocaded"). 

Of course, a serpent-themed lineup requires an honorable mention of Medusa, whose imposing likeness by Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757–1822) is reimagined on our stylish tee. 

Canova's Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1804–6) celebrates the Greek hero Perseus's victory over the monstrous Gorgon feared for her hair made of snakes and her deathly gaze that turned anyone she looked at to stone. Canova masterfully commemorates Perseus's triumph over Medusa, whose likeness has long served as an image of evil to repel evil. Canova was universally acknowledged as the preeminent sculptor of his era, and this monumental sculpture reflects his admiration for the art of antiquity.

Read more about the snake-haired Medusa in our blog post.

Shop our new Egyptian Cobra Brooch and Jeweled Snake 14K Gold-Plated Sterling Silver Jewelry in-store and online.