Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. Although the neighboring Colima are known for their dog vessels, they are much rarer to find from the Nayarit! A fantastically expressive and hugely chubby hollow dog figure with black-painted details on the face and body. Small, perky ears, small eyes, and a flat, upturned nose give the impression of a serene animal sitting in the sun. Size: 10.5" L x 5" W x 5.55" H (26.7 cm x 12.7 cm x 14.1 cm)

Dogs in this culture were both companion animals, fattened up to be eaten, and related to mythology surrounding the Underworld - seen as guides for the deceased into the afterlife. This style of sculpture is known as Chinesco by collectors because of its stylistic similarities to Chinese art. Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico -- they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one would most likely have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have connected these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.

Provenance: Ex-Harvey Collection, acquired prior to 1972

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#119744

Intact, with excellent remaining pigment, especially on the face, and manganese deposits over the body.