Colima
West Mexico
100 BC–250 AD
Ceramic
Height 11 1/2"; Length 17"
Provenance: Frederico Bermudez, Houston, acquired 1966
This large Colima redware dog stands on four legs with the head turned slightly and the mouth open to reveal a dark interior, with two upright ears and a high curling tail. The eye area is left in the natural clay ground, creating a pale oval contrast against the red-brown slip of the body, and the muzzle is rendered with a small snout and carefully modeled lips. The body is full and rounded with a burnished surface showing fine root marks and wear consistent with long burial.
The Colima dog is among the most significant subjects in West Mexican pre-Columbian ceramic production, associated with the hairless Xoloitzcuintli breed and its role as a guide for the dead in ancient Mesoamerican belief. At 17 inches in length this is a large and well-preserved example, and the piece carries documented pre-1970 provenance from Frederico Bermudez of Houston. The open mouth, upright ears, and curled tail give this figure a particularly alert posture within the Colima dog corpus.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Colima
West Mexico
100 BC–250 AD
Ceramic
Height 11 1/2"; Length 17"
Provenance: Frederico Bermudez, Houston, acquired 1966
This large Colima redware dog stands on four legs with the head turned slightly and the mouth open to reveal a dark interior, with two upright ears and a high curling tail. The eye area is left in the natural clay ground, creating a pale oval contrast against the red-brown slip of the body, and the muzzle is rendered with a small snout and carefully modeled lips. The body is full and rounded with a burnished surface showing fine root marks and wear consistent with long burial.
The Colima dog is among the most significant subjects in West Mexican pre-Columbian ceramic production, associated with the hairless Xoloitzcuintli breed and its role as a guide for the dead in ancient Mesoamerican belief. At 17 inches in length this is a large and well-preserved example, and the piece carries documented pre-1970 provenance from Frederico Bermudez of Houston. The open mouth, upright ears, and curled tail give this figure a particularly alert posture within the Colima dog corpus.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
