O’REILLYS Fine Jewellery, Watches & Silver Auction Starting 22nd February 2023 at 12pm

The symbol of the serpent has remained an impor tant motif within ancient and modern civilizations a like. They held an impor tant role within Ancient Egyptian belief systems, believed to be a symbol for fer tility. The act of shedding their skin was thought to be a metaphor for regeneration, rebir th, and transformation. Cleopatra can be seen to be depicted wearing a snake bracelet in the low-relief from the temple of Hathor at Dendera, now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. They were a symbol for wisdom and eternity. Both the ancient Mayans and Aztecs wor- shipped serpent gods.The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was the god for winds and rain and the creator of the world and humanity and was depicted as a combination of a bird and a rat- tlesnake.The ancient Greek god of medicine,Asclepius, was depicted as a serpent intertwined on a staff, this image is still used today as the symbol for hospitals and places of healing. Ancient Greek and Romans, with the romans believing it was a symbol for wisdom. During the Victorian era, serpent jewellery remained extremely popular with Queen Victoria’s Lot 212 AN ENAMEL AND DIAMOND SERPENT RING, the enamelled band terminating in two snakes heads, one pave set with ruby eyes, mounted in 18ct yellow gold, size M €1,600 - €1,800 8 HIDDEN SYMBOLISM IN JEWELLERY LIVE AUCTION OF FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & COINS • WEDNESDAY, 22nd FEB 2023 AT 12PM