Hand Painted Seahorse Alebrije Sculpture, "Horse of the Sea"

This irresistible, colorful creature from Marina Lozano will win your heart. The alebrije is crafted by hand from recycled papier mache and carefully painted by hand. The whimsical sculpture has the body of a seahorse and the wings of a butterfly.

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.