True Cobra Egyptian Vase

Egyptian revival decoration has never really gone out of circulation, and the cobra is a large part of the reason. The rearing, hooded serpent was a royal emblem on the Nile thousands of years before it became shorthand for the whole civilisation, and here it is wrapped around a vessel, the hood rising where a plainer vase would simply taper away. The rest of the piece speaks the same language: banded relief, geometric repeats, and the flattened front-facing treatment that Egyptian ornament uses in place of naturalistic sculpture. It is a decorative object before it is a container, museum shop in feel, at home on a mantelpiece or a bookshelf holding dried stems. An easy pick for anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt, and a useful set piece for themed rooms, displays and gift tables.