Description:

Latin America, Mexico, Guerrero/Oaxaca region, Nahua culture, ca. early 20th century CE. An amazing full-body crocodilian costume featuring a wooden mask and a painted canvas suit with attached wooden heads along the limbs. Crocodilians such as alligators, but mainly crocodiles and caimans, inhabit both the freshwater and ocean coasts of Mexico. In Aztec mythology, Cipactli was a monstrous crocodilian hybrid with fish and frog aspects. This costume, inspired by ancient Aztec depictions and Nahua culture, resembles a dragon with spikes along the carved heads. It may have been used in the Fish Dance, Danza de los Pescados. Size of suit: 52" L x 58" W (132.1 cm x 147.3 cm); mask Size: 19" L x 10" W x 12.5" H (48.3 cm x 25.4 cm x 31.8 cm)

Provenance: private Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA collection

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#185864

  • Condition: Wear to pigments on the canvas suit from use and dancing, as well as along the creases from storage. Abrasions and losses to the horn tips on the main mask and chips on the smaller wooden heads.

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July 26, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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