DOG STANDING ON THE DRESSED TAIL Colima Culture,... Lot 46

DOG STANDING ON THE DRESSED TAIL Colima Culture, Western Mexico Classical Protocol, 100 BC-250 ADC. Brick red slip ceramic, black oxidations H. 32,1 cm - P. 45,1 cm Colima standing dog, buffware ceramic with red slip and black oxidations, Mexico H. 12 5/8 in - P. 17 3/4 in Provenance: American private collection Acquired by the present owner in 1989 Fine Arts of Ancient Lands, New York, acquired in the 1970s Galerie Stendahl, Los Angeles Publication: Johnson, Harmer, Guide to the Arts of the Americas, International Archive of Art, 1992, p. 74A Dogs are the iconic animals of Colima culture, and are represented in all sorts of attitudes: one, with tail up on all four legs, another asleep or scratching his head, sometimes chewing an ear of corn. Mexican hairless dog, the xoloitzcuintli (xolo) is a mix of breeds from the old continent that crossed the Bering Strait to the New World with the first migrations of man several thousand years ago. The reddish-brown engobes of the colima ceramics were perfectly suited to the shiny skin of these dogs. The name xoloitzcuintli comes from the Aztec language and combines the name of the dog god "Xolotl" with the common name dog, itzcuintli. The word xolotl means "twin", suggesting that the dog is the companion of its master's spirit. Xolotl accompanied the dead man's soul on its journey to the afterlife.