Ossified Purple Sea Horse

Object/Artifact

-

The Civilization of Llhuros

OSSIFIED PURPLE SEAHORSE | 1966-71 | Photo by Ann Cady, 2024 | ©2026 Norman Daly Art: The photo depicts a peculiarly shaped, dried, organic object that resembles a distorted, elongated sea creature with discolored, leathery skin and torn edges, suggesting it may be a specimen selected to show its unique texture and structure, while highlighting its asymmetrical form with protruding elements, revealing an eerie, otherworldly appearance that intrigues the viewer and invites speculation about its origin and purpose. NOTE: the ossified creature has lost its purple coloration.
OSSIFIED PURPLE SEAHORSE | 1966-71 | Photo by Ann Cady, 2024 | ©2026 Norman Daly Art

The photo depicts a peculiarly shaped, dried, organic object that resembles a distorted, elongated sea creature with discolored, leathery skin and torn edges, suggesting it may be a specimen selected to show its unique texture and structure, while highlighting its asymmetrical form with protruding elements, revealing an eerie, otherworldly appearance that intrigues the viewer and invites speculation about its origin and purpose. NOTE: the ossified creature has lost its purple coloration.

Name/Title

Ossified Purple Sea Horse

Entry/Object ID

COL.101

Description

All purple seahorses were sacred; when caught in the nets, the sea horses were to be returned to the waters, unharmed. [1972 Exhibition Catalog-Narrative p. 11]

Category

Decline

Made/Created

Artist

Norman Daly

Date made

circa 1966 - 1971

Place

Academic Institution

Cornell University

City

Ithaca, New York

Continent

North America

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

Asia Minor

Culture/Tribe

Llhuros

Dimensions

Height

13-3/4 in

Width

5-3/4 in

Depth

1-7/8 in

Materials

Material

Organic material

Material Notes

If shipping out of US, on the customs form you must use the name "FACSIMILE OF Ossified Purple Seahorse" or it will be flagged during customs checks. This happened in France in 2017 and held up the arrival of the entire shipment to the Montpelier exhibition.

Acquisition

Notes

This object is a unique element of the "Civilization of Llhuros" collection given to the Cornell University Anthropology Collaboratory in 2026.

Web Links and URLs

Devil Fish

Exhibitions

Akron Art Institute (1972)
Cornell University | A.D. White Museum of Art (1972)
Indianapolis Art Museum (1972)
Istanbul Biennial, 16th | "The Seventh Continent" (2019)
La Panacée, centre d'art contemporain | "Plurivers" | Montpellier, France (2017-18)
Memorial Art Gallery | University of Rochester (1972)
Roberson Center for Art and Science, Binghamton, NY (1974)
Romische-Germanisches Museum | "Projekt '74" | Cologne Germany (1974)
SUNY Albany | Art Gallery (1973}
University of Pennsylvania Art Museum, Philadelphia (1974)