Connections: Crocodiles

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

June 27, 2011

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.

Art Mentioned

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
Workshop of Artists of Mariwai Village
1970

Double crocodile pendant, Coclé (Macaracas) artist, Gold, tourmaline, 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 BCE–early 1st century CE

Crocodile amulet, Faience — Crocodile amulet
305–246 BCE

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