Dog effigy · West-Mexico, Colima · ID: 3033112
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.
The object Dog effigy with the object ID 3033112 was last part of the auction 76th tribal art auction at March 22, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 80 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,200.
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Comparing literature
Leyenaar, Ted u.a., Von Küste zu Küste, o.O. 1992, p. 200