Snake

ornament that transcends the materiality of jewelry

Abstract

The article intends to foster a reflection on the possible meanings of the image of the snake associated with the creative constructions of ornaments associated with jewelry. Through the thoughts of the French philosopher Gilbert Durand (2012), this research starts from the understanding of the relevance of the snake in the human imagination, highlighting its presence as a timeless ornament in jewelry since the Egyptians, passing through the Greco- Roman mythology, your protagonism in the artistic movement Art Nouveau; and, finally, as a striking element in the so-called high jewelery in the 21st century. According to Durand, the imaginary is related to the extensive individual and collective capacity to give meaning to the world, having the symbol as a way to express it. The studies also include Bourdieu’s meditations (1989) on symbolic power; and the ideas of Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich (2012) for the understanding of the construction of the ornament in the composition of the jewel as an adornment, in addition to the defense for the autonomy of design in the creative process. The brief tour of the important imaginary references of the snake recognized throughout human history culminates in a reflective and practical proposal for the development of a jewel adornment. The author then takes the serpent as an ornament for the realization of a creative exercise with the proposal to conceive an ornament inspired by the ophidic image as the main element for the development of a jewel.