Standing dog
DatePre-hispanic
Label TextHairless dogs called techichi were fattened up for eating as feast food in ancient Mexico. Sixteenth-century chronicles discuss how these dogs were fed beans, lard and bananas until they became as fat as piglets. The vivid animation of this figure is a tribute to the skill of these artists. Mythological references speak of the dog as a guide who led the souls of the deceased past many obstacles, through the regions of rivers and shadows, to the land of the dead.
Object number75.101
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Art of the Ancient Americas, July 10, 1999 - May 11, 2003.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Cosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art, Nov. 10, 2018 - ongoing.Credit LineFloyd A. Naramore Memorial Purchase Fund and Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund
Dimensions10 1/4 × 14in. (26 × 35.6cm)
MediumCeramic with slip
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