Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A dynamically posed hand-made pottery depiction of a dog with a long face, a perky nose, and tiny round ears. The dog sits with his legs drawn up underneath him, his tail coiled at his rear. Although the neighboring Colima are known for their dog vessels, they are much rarer to find from the Nayarit! Size: 9.5" L x 7.9" W x 6.8" H (24.1 cm x 20.1 cm x 17.3 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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#119763

Back and top of head have been repaired and restored.