Snake Goddess - II: The mother goddess
This elegant figurine holding snakes represents a goddess and by implication, the term 'snake goddess' also describes the chthonic deity depicted.
The figurine is made of faience, a technique for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. After firing this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. In Oxford Ashmolean Museum a modern copy of these figurines is exhibited, and gives an idea of the original colors.
Minoan faïence figurines
About 1600 BC
From Knossos
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Snake Goddess - II: The mother goddess
This elegant figurine holding snakes represents a goddess and by implication, the term 'snake goddess' also describes the chthonic deity depicted.
The figurine is made of faience, a technique for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. After firing this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. In Oxford Ashmolean Museum a modern copy of these figurines is exhibited, and gives an idea of the original colors.
Minoan faïence figurines
About 1600 BC
From Knossos
Heraklion Archaeological Museum