Day 136 - Two Mexican dogs
March 18, 2019
Gallery 358 focuses on Mesoamerica; its contents come largely from Mexico and Guatemala, but there are also a handful of objects from the Caribbean. I am struck, first, by the age of some of the pieces: I had no idea that Olmec culture dates back to 1200 B.C.E. I'm impressed, too, by the naturalism of some of the Olmec figures: There's a statuette of a man carved of obsidian (surely not the easiest medium in which to work) that clearly depicts the bags under his eyes, as well as what might be a harelip. I also note that, in addition to Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayas, Aztecs, there are many cultures I have barely heard of-- Nayarit, for example, or Veracruz.
For today's object, I'm irresistibly drawn to a ceramic Colima dog, both because it is familiar (I've seen Colima dogs before) and because this particular example is so charming. Dating from between 200 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (quite a time range!) and roughly 12 inches long and 10 inches high to the tips of its pricked-up ears, the dog lies on its belly, its legs and tail curled under it, its head raised alertly. You sense power in the musculature of the animal's curved back, but it looks peaceful, its mouth closed. It seems to look beyond us. I read that Colima statuettes were commonly found in burials. I wonder whether animals had their own graves, or whether this figure represents a patient and devoted pet accompanying its master into the afterlife. I consult the internet and read that dogs were used for a variety of purposes. They were believed to safeguard households from evil spirits as well as intruders. They were also fattened up and eaten!
A second ceramic dog, this one from 5th or 6th century Remojadas (also in Mexico) and close to two feet tall. appeals for an entirely different reason. Far from peaceful, it sits and howls, its head thrown back, its mouth open to reveal large incisors and canine teeth. The dog's sex is indicated, too, by one cylindical and two round pieces of clay that were appended to the animal's underside before firing - it's a boy! Black paint emphasizes the animal's pupils and snout, rims his mouth, and appears on his forelegs. He also seems to be wearing a scarf of some kind - maybe an indicator of who owned him, the Mesoamerican equivalent of a dog tag? In any event, the pottery-maker did a great job of capturing canine behavior -- you can almost visualize the moon at which the creature is howling.
For today's object, I'm irresistibly drawn to a ceramic Colima dog, both because it is familiar (I've seen Colima dogs before) and because this particular example is so charming. Dating from between 200 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (quite a time range!) and roughly 12 inches long and 10 inches high to the tips of its pricked-up ears, the dog lies on its belly, its legs and tail curled under it, its head raised alertly. You sense power in the musculature of the animal's curved back, but it looks peaceful, its mouth closed. It seems to look beyond us. I read that Colima statuettes were commonly found in burials. I wonder whether animals had their own graves, or whether this figure represents a patient and devoted pet accompanying its master into the afterlife. I consult the internet and read that dogs were used for a variety of purposes. They were believed to safeguard households from evil spirits as well as intruders. They were also fattened up and eaten!
A second ceramic dog, this one from 5th or 6th century Remojadas (also in Mexico) and close to two feet tall. appeals for an entirely different reason. Far from peaceful, it sits and howls, its head thrown back, its mouth open to reveal large incisors and canine teeth. The dog's sex is indicated, too, by one cylindical and two round pieces of clay that were appended to the animal's underside before firing - it's a boy! Black paint emphasizes the animal's pupils and snout, rims his mouth, and appears on his forelegs. He also seems to be wearing a scarf of some kind - maybe an indicator of who owned him, the Mesoamerican equivalent of a dog tag? In any event, the pottery-maker did a great job of capturing canine behavior -- you can almost visualize the moon at which the creature is howling.
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