Pre-Columbian, Western Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A stunning and corpulent Colima dog effigy painted in the regions signature russet red hue. Its face features bared teeth highlighting sharp canines to either side. Its visage is finely incised with a pair of wide elliptical eyes, and a gently bridged protruding snout with doted nostril openings. Both ears and tail are set at attention in a jubilant state of alert. A stocky build set atop four stout legs with a voluminous bulbous stomach gives the piece a captivating silhouette. An exquisite example! Size: 6" L x 11.75" W x 7" H (15.2 cm x 29.8 cm x 17.8 cm)
Pottery canines like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico - they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one most likely would have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have interpreted these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.
Provenance: private Goldman Family Collection, San Francisco, California, USA, acquired in 1977; ex-Syvia Antiques, Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
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#164708
Condition
Minor chipping to ear. Softening of incised featured, especially teeth. Light abrasions scattered throughout. Otherwise in excellent condition with a wonderful luster.