Vessel in the Form of a Sleeping Dog
- Culture
- Teotihuacan
- Date
- c.450–550
- Material
- Ceramic
- made in
- Mexico state, Mexico, North and Central America
- Classification
- Ceramics, containers
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 114
- Dimensions
- 3 9/16 x 7 1/2 in. (9 x 19.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of an anonymous donor
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 108:1966
NOTES
Pleasingly curled up, this dog vessel is made of a special orange clay prized by Teotihuacan ceramicists and traders. From a source in nearby Puebla, the clay was fashioned into thin sheets for making elegant vessels and sculptures. Dogs and dog-shaped vessels were often included in Teotihuacan burials, suggesting their domestication as members of the household. Their presence in central Mexico parallels a similar practice seen in some burials in West Mexico during the same period, where thin orange ceramics have also been found. Although different in form, the ceramic canines of Teotihuacan indicate a shared—if not imported—funerary practice.
Provenance
Famous-Barr Company, St. Louis, MO, USA
- 1966
Private collection, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Famous-Barr Company [1]
1966 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given anonymously by a private collector, St. Louis, MO [2]
Notes:
[1] This owner expressed the desire to remain anonymous [SLAM document files].
[2] There is confusion as to the purchase from Famous-Barr Company. It is noted in the minutes as a Saint Louis Art Museum purchase, but in the SLAM accession record and document files it is indicated as a purchase by the donor. In a letter dated February 16, 1966, from Charles E. Buckley to the donor, he thanks them for the purchase of the object [SLAM accession record; SLAM document files; Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, January 27, 1966].
- 1966
Private collection, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Famous-Barr Company [1]
1966 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given anonymously by a private collector, St. Louis, MO [2]
Notes:
[1] This owner expressed the desire to remain anonymous [SLAM document files].
[2] There is confusion as to the purchase from Famous-Barr Company. It is noted in the minutes as a Saint Louis Art Museum purchase, but in the SLAM accession record and document files it is indicated as a purchase by the donor. In a letter dated February 16, 1966, from Charles E. Buckley to the donor, he thanks them for the purchase of the object [SLAM accession record; SLAM document files; Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, January 27, 1966].
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.