Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An endearing pottery vessel in the form of a portly canine standing atop 4 short legs as though attentively waiting to be tossed a treat. Enveloped in a vibrant red and brown pigments, the adorable animal gazes forward from huge, annular eyes above a projecting snout with an incised mouth, all surmounted by a pair of perky, pointed ears. The huge, flared spout of the vessel rises from the dog's back, ending in a broad, ovoid rim, while his tapered tail wags at his posterior. Size: 13.4" L x 8.3" W x 10.1" H (34 cm x 21.1 cm x 25.7 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 like this example were buried in shaft tombs to protect the deceased and provide sustenance for eternity.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s; ex-Wilson Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA in the 1980s; ex-private New York, USA collection

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#173886

Proper right ear professionally reattached. Some minor nicks and abrasions, as expected with age. Areas of fire-darkening. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining pigments and great earthen deposits.