Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An adorable pottery vessel in the rare form of a dog topped with a carapace shell resembling that of an armadillo or turtle. Animal effigy vessels are a very common theme in West Mexican ceramic art. Dogs are the most widespread subject but other animals, such as this armadillo, were also depicted. Its head, neck, and legs emerge from the large carapace covering the animal?s body, while the tail serves as the vessel?s spout. The type of abstraction mastered by Central Mexican sculptors has led some scholars to interpret similar pieces as representations of small dogs dressed in turtle shells. Size: 13" L x 4.9" W x 6.1" H (33 cm x 12.4 cm x 15.5 cm)

Terracotta sculptural representations of turtle-dogs are among the many animal effigies created by ancient artisans, though they are among some of the rarest zoomorphic effigy vessels inspired by the natural world of Western Mexico. In the Pre-Columbian world, turtle imagery represented the watery surface separating the sky from the underworld. In addition to its earth metaphor, turtles were symbols of virility as well as fertility.

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 were buried in shaft tombs to protect the deceased and provide sustenance for eternity.

Cf. University of Miami Lowe Art Museum, 89.0160.

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Estate collection, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, acquired 1960 to 2024

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#185547

Professionally repaired with restoration and resurfacing in areas. Head and proper right front leg have been professionally reattached with chipping, some miniscule loss, and adhesive along visible break lines. Chip to proper right ear and light surface wear as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice presentation with rich mineral deposits to surface.