Zemanek-Münster

Dog effigy

West-Mexico, Colima
sold EUR 2,200
Provenance
American Private Collection, New Jersey (~1960’s)
Size
H: 23 cm
L: 39 cm
H: 9.1 inch
L: 15.4 inch

Description

fired clay, red slip pigment, corpulent body, rising from short legs, large open tail as spout, the painted slip is applied thicker in areas as to create a two tone effect, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
the hairless Techichi were breeded for consumption. In mythology it were dogs who guided the souls of the deceased along the rivers of the underworld. If such terracotta sculptures were meant as companion or guide through the underworld or should provide food for the dead is unclear.


Comparing literature

Leyenaar, Ted u.a., Von Küste zu Küste, o.O. 1992, p. 200

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