**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An endearing pottery vessel of a rare form with a tubular, curved body and 2 heads! The adorable canines face one another, each slightly raising their pointed snout as though investigating their companion. Surmounted by sizeable, pointed ears, each of their heads display annular eyes divided by an incised crest, a tapered snout, delineated nostrils, and an open mouth revealing 2 rows of square teeth. Their front paws appear to bend beneath them, while a thick tail slopes upward from the arch of their U-shaped body, opening at the top to form the spout of the vessel. Size: 11" L x 7.6" W x 5.9" H (27.9 cm x 19.3 cm x 15 cm)
Scholars know of at least two types of Colima dogs, one to be fattened up and ritually sacrificed or eaten and one to serve as a watchdog and healer of the ill. This plump hairless canine known as a Chichi or Escuintla is thought to be related to the Chihuahua or Mexican Hairless also known as the Xoloitzcuintle. The Xolo dog was named for the deity Xolotl, the God of the Underworld, and believed to guide the deceased as they journeyed to the afterlife. Colima vessels such as this one were buried in shaft tombs to protect the deceased and provide sustenance for eternity.
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Provenance: ex-private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, USA
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#177359
Condition
Professionally repaired and restored with some repainting. A few nicks, abrasions, and areas of fire-darkening, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining details and lustrous burnish to surface.