Lot 200B
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A beautifully constructed, hand-built redware dog vessel of a charming form that exhibits a playful nature and smooth, highly burnished surfaces. The corpulent canine stands with a portly abdomen atop a quartet of bowed legs and features a raised neck, powerful shoulders, and a perky tail that doubles as the vessel's spout. The conical head protrudes out from the neck and bears incised, almond-shaped eyes, a tapered snout with carved-out nostrils, an incised mouth curled into a slight smirk, and a large pair of perky ears flanking the rounded skull cap. Size: 12.375" L x 5.7" W x 6.8" H (31.4 cm x 14.5 cm x 17.3 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-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010
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#164093
- Condition: Repaired from several large pieces with restoration along areas of body and tail, and resurfacing with overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions to tail, body, and head, with softening to some incised features, and light fading to original pigment. Great manganese deposits throughout.
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