Colima Redware Dog Vessel w/ Spout & Toothy Grin
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic Period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built and highly burnished redware pottery vessel depicting a charming dog seated upon bent hind legs. The corpulent canine is defined by its bulbous body, slender front legs that are dramatically bowed from supporting its own weight, an upturned conical tail, and a broad neck. The wide triangular head features bulging coffee-bean-shaped eyes, a perky nose with delineated nostrils, cupped ears with perforations meant to display additional ornamentation, and a grinning mouth filled with jagged teeth, all beneath a spout on the top. The toothsome maw creates the a relatable 'smile' as if being pet by the spirit of its deceased owner. Size: 11.75" L x 7.4" W x 10.1" H (29.8 cm x 18.8 cm x 25.7 cm)
The Colima Dog is one of the most enduring and famous symbols of Pre-Columbian art. These puppies come from the shaft tombs of West Mexico, where dogs were believed to assist the dead in their journey to the underworld. Although these dogs are often portrayed as fattened up for the table, they are also sculpted into a variety of playful positions, suggesting that dogs were also close human companions in Colima culture the way they are today for us. This particular Colima dog sits at attention, mouth wide open brandishing a toothy grin, and tail projecting behind his short back legs, ears perked up and eyes looking outwards at the viewer. Anyone who loves dogs knows this expression and the piece demonstrates how important the bond between humans and dogs was even 2000 years ago! This close relationship is reflected in the cosmology of Pre-Columbian Mexican peoples, where one story tells that the first man survived a great flood because of his friend, a dog, who helped him find both corn to eat and fire.
A stylistically similar example, of a slightly smaller size, hammered for EUR 6,000 ($6,605.10) at Christie's, Paris "Art precolombien" auction (sale 5329, December 6, 2005, lot 409).
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Nevada, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Arkansas, USA, acquired in the 1950s to 1960s, collection #AA69
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#153127 Dimensions: Condition Report: Professionally repaired from multiple pieces, with restoration to several areas of legs, body, neck, and head, and resurfacing and overpainting to new material and along break lines. Minor abrasions to legs, body, and head, with fading to areas of original pigmentation. Light earthen deposits, traces of original pigment, and scattered mineral deposits throughout. Old inventory label beneath base.
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Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic Period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built and highly burnished redware pottery vessel depicting a charming dog seated upon bent hind legs. The corpulent canine is defined by its bulbous body, slender front legs that are dramatically bowed from supporting its own weight, an upturned conical tail, and a broad neck. The wide triangular head features bulging coffee-bean-shaped eyes, a perky nose with delineated nostrils, cupped ears with perforations meant to display additional ornamentation, and a grinning mouth filled with jagged teeth, all beneath a spout on the top. The toothsome maw creates the a relatable 'smile' as if being pet by the spirit of its deceased owner. Size: 11.75" L x 7.4" W x 10.1" H (29.8 cm x 18.8 cm x 25.7 cm)
The Colima Dog is one of the most enduring and famous symbols of Pre-Columbian art. These puppies come from the shaft tombs of West Mexico, where dogs were believed to assist the dead in their journey to the underworld. Although these dogs are often portrayed as fattened up for the table, they are also sculpted into a variety of playful positions, suggesting that dogs were also close human companions in Colima culture the way they are today for us. This particular Colima dog sits at attention, mouth wide open brandishing a toothy grin, and tail projecting behind his short back legs, ears perked up and eyes looking outwards at the viewer. Anyone who loves dogs knows this expression and the piece demonstrates how important the bond between humans and dogs was even 2000 years ago! This close relationship is reflected in the cosmology of Pre-Columbian Mexican peoples, where one story tells that the first man survived a great flood because of his friend, a dog, who helped him find both corn to eat and fire.
A stylistically similar example, of a slightly smaller size, hammered for EUR 6,000 ($6,605.10) at Christie's, Paris "Art precolombien" auction (sale 5329, December 6, 2005, lot 409).
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Nevada, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Arkansas, USA, acquired in the 1950s to 1960s, collection #AA69
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#153127 Dimensions: Condition Report: Professionally repaired from multiple pieces, with restoration to several areas of legs, body, neck, and head, and resurfacing and overpainting to new material and along break lines. Minor abrasions to legs, body, and head, with fading to areas of original pigmentation. Light earthen deposits, traces of original pigment, and scattered mineral deposits throughout. Old inventory label beneath base.
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