Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic Period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A very cute example of the classic form. This skillfully hand-built redware canine has a portly abdomen supported by four attenuated legs, and featuring an upturned tail. His lively head boasts incised wide-opened ovoid eyes, an upturned snout with impressed nostrils, a smiling perhaps smirking mouth as if he is about to get into mischief, and a pair of perky ears. Highly-burnished and covered in red slip as well as fabulous root marks and manganese deposits, this is a wonderful example from ancient West Mexico! Size: 8.45" W x 6.1" H (21.5 cm x 15.5 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.
Provenance: ex-Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, acquired prior to 2000
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#155894
Condition
One ear reattached; otherwise in excellent condition with great manganese deposits over the surface.