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Connections: Crocodiles

Oceanic art curator Eric Kjellgren dissects the myths and urban legends associated with the crocodile throughout the ages.
4 min. watch

"New York has its own crocodilian mythology. They were supposed to lose all the pigmentation in their skin and become essentially albino crocodiles, ten feet long, surviving on rats, garbage, and the occasional sewer worker."

Oceanic art curator Eric Kjellgren dissects the myths and urban legends associated with the crocodile throughout the ages.

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Art Mentioned

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Alligators, John Singer Sargent American, Watercolor, graphite, and wax crayon on white wove paper, American
Alligators
John Singer Sargent
1917
Satchel, leather, metal, American
Satchel
American
first quarter 20th century
Untitled
Joan Fontcuberta
1978
[Five 35mm Film Frames on Uncut Roll of Roadside Stand Selling Shells and Advertising Live Alligators, Tarpon Springs, Florida], Walker Evans American, Film negative
[Five 35mm Film Frames on Uncut Roll of Roadside Stand Selling Shells and Advertising Live Alligators, Tarpon Springs, Florida]
Walker Evans
December 1941
Jardin des Plantes, Eugène Atget French, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Jardin des Plantes
Eugène Atget
1898–1900
Canoe Prow, Wood, cowrie shells, Iatmul people
Canoe Prow
Iatmul people
19th–early 20th century
Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling, Numei, Amachi Kalaba, Sago palm spathe, paint, Kwoma, Amachi-Kalaba clan
Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling
Numei, Amachi Kalaba
Artists of Mariwai Village
1970
Double crocodile pendant, Coclé (Macaracas) artist, Gold, quartz, Coclé (Macaracas)
Double crocodile pendant
Coclé (Macaracas) artist
950–1100 CE
Crocodile whistle and rattle, Maya artist(s), Ceramic, Maya blue pigment, Maya
Crocodile whistle and rattle
Maya artist(s)
700–800 CE
Water Drum, Djiki Papua New Guinea, Wood, fiber, Iatmul people
Water Drum
Djiki
19th–early 20th century
Orufanran Costume Attachment: Crocodile Head, Ivory, wood or coconut shell inlay, Yoruba peoples, Owo group
Orufanran Costume Attachment: Crocodile Head
Yoruba peoples, Owo group
17th–19th century
Crocodile Reading, Oliver Herford American, born England, Graphite, brush, and India ink
Crocodile Reading
Oliver Herford
ca. 1891
Allegorical Figure Representing America, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo Italian, Fresco, transferred to canvas
Allegorical Figure Representing America
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
A Stag Lying Down (on a base): The Head of a Crocodile, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo Italian, Pen and brown ink, brown wash, over traces of black chalk
A Stag Lying Down (on a base): The Head of a Crocodile
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
after 1770
Mi-gyaung, Wood, gold leaf, Burmese
Mi-gyaung
Burmese
late 19th century
Crocodile statue, Granite
Crocodile statue
Late 1st century B.C. – early 1st century A.D.
Crocodile amulet, Faience
Crocodile amulet
304–247 B.C.