I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be part of a candle holder. Seems like there were many candle holders with the snake motif, but then again, those sneaky snakes made their presence known everywhere.
I've seen one of those before, and I think it was identified, but I'm sorry, my memory definitely wasn't the first thing to go, but it's gone along with the other male old age maladies. This is driving me nuts.
What size is it? Are there any places where it shows attachments? It so, it could be the handle to a box (jewelry/nicknack) or part of a bronze statue. Most interesting Breezie