England, ca. 1200 to 1300 CE. A carved marble statuette of co-joined, long-bodied dogs, standing on short legs with heads upturned, mouths opened in an unmistakable dog smile. We can date this piece from the use of marble, which was a precious material during this time period; we can also surmise that this was almost certainly part of a tomb or church decoration. To medieval people, dogs symbolized loyalty and were often associated in a funerary context with women - especially when they were small pet dogs in pairs (rather than the singular hunting hound for men). Dogs were hugely important to medieval people (as of course they are to use today!), featured often in bestiaries and in illuminated manuscripts. Size: 3.75" L x 2" W x 2.45" H (9.5 cm x 5.1 cm x 6.2 cm)

Provenance: Ex-York, England collection

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#117629

Wear to surface with smoothing of features; ears and tails have chips.