Hand-Painted Wooden Alebrije, "Cool Coyote"

The Oaxacan folk art form known as alebrijes dates back to the 1930s. A Mexican artist named Pedro Linares had dreams while ill, in which fantastical creatures rushed towards him shouting the nonsense word, "alebrije! alebrije!". When he woke from his fevered sleep, he was compelled to recreate the unusual creatures that he had seen in his dream. Artisan Esteban Hernandez in Mexico upholds the tradition by creating this wonderful coyote sculpture. The figurine is hand-carved from copal wood and meticulously painted with colourful motifs.