1910s Free Blown Snake Serpent with Bumpy Head German Figural Glass Christmas Ornament

Fabulous very early antique free blown German glass ornament, the biblical snake with a bumpy head and eyes! Circa 1900s-1910s.

This is a harder to find antique German snake ornament. The snake has been a dominant Christian symbol since the mid 1800s when figural ornaments started to decorate the family Christmas trees. The presence of a snake (or serpent) on the tree relates to the biblical story of the Tree of Paradise.

It measures 5.5 inches long and features a silver and pink twisted body which comes to a fine point. The head is bumpy with indent eyes that are painted pink. (Later versions have a smooth head, so this helps to date this piece.) This early German ornament was individually blown by mouth and hand shaped, not from a mold.

It is topped with its original early Lauscha style metal cap. It is in good antique condition free of chips or cracks. There is some silvering and paint loss around the head.

What a fabulous rare addition to your vintage antique figural Christmas ornament collection!

SIDE NOTE: Early German free blown ornaments like this are a bit rare due to the time consuming process. The ornament is free blown by the glassblower from a single tube of glass, using a paddle and then pulled by hand. The majority of figural glass decorations and ornaments were blown into a mold, so, this process is a real treat.

We have a wonderful collection of antique pre-1946 glass Christmas ornaments you might like!

Don’t miss our amazing vintage glass bird ornaments!

Or our antique Santas.