Connections: Crocodiles

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

"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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Alligators, John Singer Sargent  American, Watercolor, graphite, and wax crayon on white wove paper, American
John Singer Sargent
1917
Satchel, leather, metal, American
American
first quarter 20th century
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
Walker Evans
December 1941
Jardin des Plantes, Eugène Atget  French, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Eugène Atget
1898–1900
Canoe Prow, Wood, cowrie shells, Iatmul people
Iatmul people
19th–early 20th century
Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling, Numei, Amachi Kalaba, Sago palm spathe, paint, Kwoma,  Amachi-Kalaba clan
Numei, Amachi Kalaba
1970
Double Crocodile Pendant, Gold, quartz, Coclé (Macaracas)
Coclé (Macaracas)
8th–10th century
Crocodile whistle and rattle, Ceramic, pigment, Maya
Maya
700–800
Water Drum, Djiki  Papua New Guinea, Wood, fiber, Iatmul people
Djiki
19th–early 20th century
Orufanran Costume Attachment: Crocodile Head, Ivory, wood or coconut shell inlay, Yoruba peoples, Owo group
Yoruba peoples, Owo group
17th–19th century
Crocodile Reading, Oliver Herford  American, born England, Graphite, brush, and India ink
Oliver Herford
ca. 1891
Allegorical Figure Representing America, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo  Italian, Fresco, transferred to canvas
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
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
after 1770
Mi-gyaung, Wood, gold leaf, Burmese
Burmese
late 19th century
Crocodile statue, Granite
Late 1st century B.C. – early 1st century A.D.
Crocodile amulet, Faience
304–247 B.C.