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My Alebrijes have a home. I don't have a shelf anywhere in the house tall enough for them so they are living on top of a china cabinet in the dining room. On each side are "fake" opium pipes from Vietnam. And on the wall is a four part mother of pearl screen also from Vietnam.
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They were joined by a monkey I purchased 10 years ago from a famous artist in Arrazola. It's holding a bunch of bananas and has a very long tail. It had been living in seclusion on the top of another china cabinet.
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Unfortunately that meant that four inside painted glass balls from China were displaced. Now they have to find a home in turn.
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I made probably 10 to 12 trips to China between 1993 and probably 2005 and bought these balls on a majority of the trips. I looked for them on my last trip and couldn't find them anywhere. I was able to find smaller inside painted pieces but never liked those as well.
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They are crystal globes with the insides carefully drilled out. Then an artist carefully paints them with tiny brushes. I have seen them do this in fancy shops but am always stunned by the quality of the work given the conditions. This one is the signs of the Zodiac.
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Court gentlemen and ladies. My favorites are tigers and dragons and have probably 8 of them.
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The white streak on the red is from my flash.
Labels: Alebrijes, Inside Painted Glass Balls, Oaxaca Mexico
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