M.C. Escher, Snakes (1969) – Glass Dome Paperweight

This glass half-dome paperweight reproduces M.C. Escher’s final print, Snakes (1969), a meditation on geometry, infinity, and transformation. Within a continuous circular pattern, brown snakes weave through interlocking green rings that seem to fold upon themselves endlessly. Escher completed this design shortly before his death, marking the culmination of his lifelong fascination with symmetry and mathematical form.

• Reproduction of Escher’s Snakes (1969), his final woodcut print
• Glass half-dome construction gently magnifies the intricate pattern
• Presented in a lined presentation box for protection and display
• Part of the Parastone Museum Gift Collection (PN PESC3)
• Dimensions: 3 in W × 3 in L × 1.5 in H | Weight: 0.9 lbs

About the Artwork

Snakes was printed in July 1969, using the traditional woodcut technique that Escher had refined throughout his career. The print’s interlaced composition embodies the artist’s ongoing exploration of infinite regress and spatial paradox—themes that link art, mathematics, and metaphysics. The repeating rings and coiled serpents invite viewers to contemplate the endless cycles of growth and renewal that structure both nature and design.

About the Artist: Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898–1972)

Born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, M.C. Escher began his studies in architecture before turning to the graphic arts under the guidance of S. Jessurun de Mesquita in Haarlem. His work bridges the worlds of art and mathematics, translating abstract principles—symmetry, reflection, tessellation—into visually compelling compositions. After 1936, Escher’s imagery shifted toward impossible constructions and visual paradoxes, making him one of the most recognized printmakers of the twentieth century.