Serpent pottery figure with two humanoid heads
Collection catalog number NMNS000800 is a serpent pottery figure with two humanoid heads. It was made of gray pottery with a fine texture. The surface is covered in white engobe. The body and belly of the snake have stripes of black glaze. The lips, ears, neck, and chest have remnants of red glaze. It was identified as a work from the Han dynasty when it entered this museum’s collection. It weighs 935 grams and is 35.2 centimeters wide, 9.8 centimeters tall, and 7.2 centimeters long. The humanoid heads are at the two ends of the snake’s body, which is in a horizontal S shape. The human heads and chests are held high. Their forearms are shaped like animal feet, the chins are slightly raised, as they face 45 degrees to the right. On the heads are cone-shaped hoods that cover the neck. A pair of pig’s ears protrude from the hood. The eyes are deep-set and the nose is prominent. The lips are slightly pursed and the corners of the mouth are slightly raised in a peaceful expression.
According to archaeological evidence, pots with images of creatures with a serpent’s body and human face first appeared on pots excavated from sites of the Miaodigou Culture (5,500 years ago). Later, such images were common on Han dynasty portrait bricks and silk paintings. Such images are considered to be related to the legends of Fuxi and Nuwa, two ancient gods who created many things. They were born with the body of a serpent and the face of a human. According to legend, from their union, came the ancestor of humans. Therefore, they are often shown with their serpent-like bodies, each holding a compass or ruler in one hand. However, the earliest image of two humanoid heads sharing one snake body appeared in a tomb of the Yin Ruins. This pottery figure was of a snake with a gluttonous head on each end. Pottery figures of a snake body with two humanoid heads became more common following the Sui and Tang dynasties. They often appear together with figures of a fish’s body with human head, a bird’s body with a human head, and a dragon’s body with a human head. They symbolize derivation of legendary divine powers to suppress and ward off evil.
