The form of this exquisite Edgar Brandt serpent tray was inspired by East Asian Bronze mirrors. In East Asian culture, mirrors were one of the most potent symbols of power, revered as sacred objects representing the gods. They were admired as artistic objects, with intricate pictorial designs on their backs. For the center of his tray, Brandt transformed his signature C-scroll motif into a vortex of wind, evoking the gales of Zephyrus. The handles are composed of two entwined serpents flanking a solar disk. A variation on this symbol was carved into the cornice of the Horus Temple at Edfu, Egypt.