The intricate wood carving of knotted claws and serpent-like coils is from a door from a 12th-century church in Iceland. The single-thread, interconnected forms are inherent in the design of eternity or infinity knots in cultures around the world, symbolizing the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Snakes appear frequently in knots representing a connection between rivers and seas, the heavens and Earth, as well as intersecting spirits in unity and strength.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, PA

12.30.24