Aztec Dog Sculpture with Stand, "Xoloitzcuintle"

Elisa Camarena sculpts the image of a dog sitting tight with its head turned upward. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, the xoloitzcuintle dog was believed to accompany its master in death, to aid the soul in crossing rivers of blood along the road of the dead. Camarena achieves the rugged porous textures of a rock carving with this vivid depiction. The signed piece stands on a pinewood base.