Plumed Serpent - San Jose, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 19.886 W 121° 53.334
10S E 598432 N 4132218
A sculpture in Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown San Jose, CA.
Waymark Code: WM7G9A
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/22/2009
Views: 6
The piece sits in the corner of Cesar Chavez Plaza by San Carlos St (across from the St Clair hotel.) The sculpture is coiled into a three tiers. The serpent is a representation of a Quetzalcoatl, a Mexican mythological creature. The piece was placed in 1994.
The text reads: "The plumed serpent is one of the embodiments of quetzalcoatl, an important mythological figure of the mesoamerican pantheon. Depictions of quetzalcoatl as a plumed serpent are found in mesoamerican art from the olmec period starting in 1200 bc until the arrival of hernan cortez and the spanish conquistadors and into the modern period. Quetzalcoatl when depicted as the plumed serpent, symbolized the blending of heaven and earth. Quetzalcoatl is also associated with the planet venus, the wind and breath of life, the discovery of corn, the invention of writing and the arts, birth and renewal. Quetzalcoatl is derived from quetzal meaning feather and coa-tl meaning snake."
TITLE: Plumed Serpent
ARTIST(S): Graham, Robert, 1938-2008, sculptor.
DATE: 1994. Dedicated Dec. 1994.
MEDIUM: Concrete polymer.
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS CA000563
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Located Market & San Carlos, San Jose, California
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Nothing different.
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.