colorful sculpture

Hovering on whirring wings, a whimsical hummingbird seeks out the sweet nectar of flowers. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije painted orange, red, yellow, green, white and black. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Caló gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Includes a thread for hanging.

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

This natural brown cat will sleep anywhere – on a bookshelf, a table, or a cabinet Nengah Sudarsana carves the sleepy kitty from suar wood, which displays a beautiful natural grain. Sudarsana's admirable expertise is visible in the vivid rendition of this sculpted feline.

Smooth natural stone shows its sleek allure in a pyramid by Cesar Gonzales. Sculpted of a beautiful combination of gemstones, the piece is designed to attract the positive and repel negativity. Blue-green chrysocolla, warm brown aragonite and white calcite crown the pyramid while jasper is the central stone. Beneath, green serpentine, chalcedony with leopard spots and black onyx complete the sculpture.

Taking a walk, a charming little cat brings the magnificence of Mexican folk art to your home. Zeny and Reyna hand-carve this alebrije figurine of copal wood, hand-painting the cat with intricate and colorful motifs. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.