---
title: "Birds and Snake (2005), Chico da Silva by Babá, painting"
description: "Birds and Snake (2005), Chico da Silva by Babá. Acrylic on canvas, 74 x 109 cm. Painting in the João Cunha Collection."
canonical: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/birds-and-snake-2005-056/
lang: en
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
translations:
  en: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/birds-and-snake-2005-056/
  es: https://chicodasilva.org/es/pinturas/aves-y-serpiente-2005-056/
  fr: https://chicodasilva.org/fr/peintures/oiseaux-et-serpent-2005-056/
  pt: https://chicodasilva.org/pt/pinturas/aves-e-cobra-2005-056/
  ar: https://chicodasilva.org/ar/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B9%D9%89-2005-056/
  zh-Hans: https://chicodasilva.cn/%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81/%E7%BE%A4%E9%B8%9F%E4%B8%8E%E8%9B%87-2005-056/
---

# Birds and Snake

![Two tall confronting birds flanking a central upright stalk, with small birds flying at the corners. Birds and Snake, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2005, acrylic on canvas.](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-056/chico-da-silva-by-baba-birds-and-snake-2005-acrylic-on-canvas-74x109cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-056-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

[Download image](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-056/chico-da-silva-by-baba-birds-and-snake-2005-acrylic-on-canvas-74x109cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-056-chicodasilva.org-3200.jpg)

Description for blind and low-vision visitors

A horizontal painting built around two large symmetrical birds with long curving necks that meet at the center, their open beaks facing a tall upright form rising from the lower center. The left bird has a rounded body filled with flame-like orange and brown patterning and a green plumed tail; the right bird's body is a large pale oval banded with pink, green and red wavy stripes. Between them a green and red striped stalk rises vertically with thin orange limbs branching outward and a small spiky crown at the top. Small birds in red, blue and brown fly in each of the upper corners and along the right edge. The background is a pale cream wash with soft yellow at the lower corners.

- **Artist:** [Chico da Silva by Babá](https://chicodasilva.org/en/biography/)
- **Year:** 2005
- **Technique:** Acrylic on canvas
- **Support:** Canvas
- **Dimensions:** 74 x 109 cm
- **Motif:** [Birds](https://chicodasilva.org/en/motifs/birds/)[Snakes](https://chicodasilva.org/en/motifs/snakes/)
- **Collection:** [João Cunha Collection](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/)
- **Signature:** CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ, lower right
- **Photo:** Eric Keki
- **Inventory no.:** [JCC-056](https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-056)

## The signature

![Detail of the painted signature: «CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ»](https://img.chicodasilva.org/signatures/baba-signature-2005-jcc-056-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

*The canvas is signed “CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ”, in the lower right corner.*

## Provenance

1.  The artist, Fortaleza, 2005
2.  Instituto Cultural Oboé, Fortaleza
3.  Leilão Montenegro, auction, 2025
4.  João Cunha Collection

## How to credit

[Photographs free to reuse, with credit (CC BY 4.0)](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/#license)

Chico da Silva by Babá, “Birds and Snake” (2005). Photo: Eric Keki, João Cunha Collection, CC BY 4.0. https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-056

The license covers the photograph, not the painting.

## For IIIF viewers

-   [IIIF manifest](https://chicodasilva.org/iiif/jcc-056/manifest.json)