Every so often a piece arrives that stops you where you stand. This authentic Alebrije horse by Pedro Carreño is one of them.
Pedro Carreño is one of the finest carvers working in Oaxaca today, known for his elegant animal alebrijes and the extraordinary richness of his painting. This copal wood figure is a perfect example. A tall, spirited stallion stands alert, head slightly turned, one back leg lifted, mane cascading in a bright electric blue current down the neck. The tail curls into a perfect spiral against the flank. The proportions are noble and graceful.
The painting is where Pedro Carreño takes the piece somewhere truly remarkable. He works in a deep, warm earth palette, rust reds, burnt oranges, ambers, coppers, and browns, all set against the cool blue of the mane, tail, and outlined legs. Every surface of the body carries concentric circular medallions like Zapotec calendar discs, radiating outward from central points. Between them, dense pre-Columbian fret patterns and stepped designs flow across the body like a woven textile draped over a living animal. The face is turquoise with delicate fret markings along the jaw and around a pale blue eye, a small flame of red and yellow rising between the ears.
In Oaxacan tradition, the horse arrived with the Spanish, but it was quickly adopted into the visual language of Mexican folk art. Today the horse in alebrije form represents strength, spirit, and free movement. Pedro Carreño's stallion carries all of that, painted with the reverence of a ceremonial garment.
Signed Oaxaca art at its finest, a serious work of Mexican folk art for the collector who has been waiting for something exceptional.
