On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Bridge-spout vessel in the form of a dog suckling two puppies,
1000–1450
Chimú
Late Intermediate Period
y1993-21
While many Chimú ceramic vessels share the smudge-fire black coloration and glossy burnish of this vessel, few present such subtle modeling, detail, and sensitivity as this representation. Although Chimú artists preferred blackware ceramics to represent all kinds of subject matter, the coloration here approximates that of the Peruvian hairless dog, an identification supported by the fine lines on the body referencing folds of skin. This species begins to appear in art from Peru’s north coast toward the end of the Early Intermediate period (ca. 750), when it may have been introduced to the region via maritime trade. A closely related species is well attested on Mexico’s west coast a millennium earlier, suggesting the likely origin of the Peruvian immigrant. While hairless dogs were eaten in ancient Mexico, scholars believe ancient Peruvians may have kept these dogs for their healing powers.
Information
Title
Bridge-spout vessel in the form of a dog suckling two puppies
Dates
1000–1450
Medium
Reduction-fired ceramic
Dimensions
16.3 × 20 × 10.6 cm (6 7/16 × 7 7/8 × 4 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Object Number
y1993-21
Place Made
South America, Peru, North coast
Culture
Period
Type
Materials
Subject
1993, The Merrin Gallery, New York, sold to the Princeton University Art Museum.
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1993", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 53, no. 1 (1994): p. 46-95., p. 69
- Barbara T. Ross, "The Mather years 1922-1946," in "An art museum for Princeton: the early years", special issue, Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 55, no. 1/2 (1996): p. 53–76., fig. 12, p. 63
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 340
