Colima Redware Dog Effigy Holding Corn in Mouth

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic Period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built and highly burnished redware pottery dog vessel of adorable form. The charming pooch presents standing atop a quartet of slender legs that hold its titanic body aloft. The raised head is decorated with incised eyes, impressed nostrils, and perky ears, and held in the mouth is an ear of corn meant to provide sustenance for a deceased individual in the afterlife. Size: 13.9" L x 7.4" W x 8.7" H (35.3 cm x 18.8 cm x 22.1 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: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Virginia, USA collection, acquired in the 2000s

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#184796
Condition Report: Professionally repaired and restored, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Light abrasions, with minimal fading to original pigment, and some small nicks, otherwise in great condition. Nice preservation to overall form. Previous inventory label beneath belly.