Grey Deer

Working in the tradition of alebrijes, Mexican duo Zeny and Reyna create this striking sculpture of a deer. Crouched on its back haunches, the deer is carved by hand of copal wood. This beautiful creature is diligently painted by hand with intricate motifs and a predominant grey color. 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.