Hand Crafted Lemur Alebrije Figurine, "Wide-Eyed Lemur"

Working in the traditional Oaxacan art form of alebrijes, artisan Claudio Ojeda in Mexico creates this spectacular sculpture. The wide-eyed lemur is carved by hand from copal wood and then carefully hand painted in a colorful and dizzying assortment of motifs. The tail is detached from the sculpture for safe shipping.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all ran at him, shouting "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache. The same style of painting can also be found on other (non-animal) items.