Hand-Carved Copal Wood Owl Alebrije Sculpture from Mexico, "Dream Vision"
Covered in intricate and colorful patterns, this alebrije owl's wide-eyed expression only adds to its fanciful appearance. In creating this admirable figurine, artisans Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Oaxaca celebrate that Mexican state's wood carving heritage. "We use copal wood for our designs," says Jesus. "We dry, treat and sand the wood before painting the motifs by hand."
The alebrije tradition started with Mexico City papier mache artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he fell into a coma due to serious illness. While he was unconscious, he dreamed he was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word alebrije. Upon recovering, Linares recreated these figures in bright colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes. His work became famous and was one of the main influences of artisans in the state of Oaxaca who began crafting alebrijes of their own using traditional wood carving methods.
- 60 grams
- 0.1 lbs
- 10.5 cm H x 7 cm W x 6 cm D
- 4.1" H x 2.8" W x 2.4" D
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Customer Reviews
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Lucia B.
Verified Reviewer
05/21/2019
"A small jewel"





Beautiful work!
Purchased Item:
Dream Vision, Hand-Carved Copal Wood Owl Alebrije Sculpture from Mexico
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Patricia
Verified Reviewer
05/04/2022
"Adorable chicken"





Love this cutie.
Best Uses
- display
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Patricia
Verified Reviewer
05/04/2022
"Too large"





Workmanship is great, but the scale is too large to be pretty.
Best Uses
- (Christmas) tree decoration
Purchased Item:
Wings of the Heart, Copal Wood Heart Shaped Ornament from Mexico
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Emily
Verified Reviewer
04/28/2022
"What an adorable kitty!"





This little alebrije sculpture is adorable and just the right touch in my eating area. I particularly love the curved tail, which was carefully packaged separately to avoid breakage. This gato makes me smile every time I see it. Gracias, Jesus y Roxana!
Best Uses
- Looking cute, drawing attention, making me smile
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Robert
Verified Reviewer
02/17/2022
"Nice"





Very nice, but colors are nowhere as vibrant as pictured!
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Bab
Verified Reviewer
02/16/2022
"A beautiful alebrije"





Im satisfied for this purchase.
Purchased Item:
Mexican Hairless Dog, Copal Wood Mexican Hairless Dog Alebrije from Mexico
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Jesus and Roxana Hernandez come from a Zapotec community in Oaxaca. "In our village, most of the men and women are wood-carvers and we specialize in... read more
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