Armando Jimenez: Alebrije Otter with Fish

Armando Jimenez, grandson of Don Manuel Jiménez Ramírez, founder of the Oaxacan alebrije tradition in San Antonio Arrazola, carves this otter stretched out on its back, clutching a fish nearly the size of its own head. The pose reads as pure play, paws curled around the catch, mouth open in a wide, toothy grin. Fine black stippling covers the body edge to edge, a dense hand-applied texture that stands in deliberate contrast to the fish's bolder, flat-painted bands. The face carries the real personality here, rings circling wide eyes and pale whiskered stripes framing a small dark nose, giving the piece an expressive, almost cartoonish charm. Otters carry a reputation for playfulness and cleverness across many cultures, though Aztec mythology told a stranger story, the ahuízotl, a fanged water beast part otter, part something far more feared. Jimenez keeps this piece firmly in the lighter tradition, closer to trickster than terror. Hand-carved from copal wood in the alebrije style Don Manuel began generations ago, an authentic piece of Oaxacan wood carving full of character. Origin: Oaxaca Dimensions: 4''Tall 8''Long 5.5''Wide