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 its 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 huge, incised eyes, a tapered snout with carved-out nostrils, an incised mouth, and a sizable pair of perky ears flanking the rounded skull cap. Size: 14" L x 8.3" W x 9.9" H (35.6 cm x 21.1 cm x 25.1 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 Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Fayetteville, Arkansas estate, USA, acquired 1960 to 2024

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#185729

Professionally repaired with break lines visible in some areas and restoration and repainting over others. Chipping to ears, rim, and along some break lines, but otherwise light surface wear. Nice earthen and mineral deposits to surface.