Figure Item Number: 3586/4 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Small ceramic animal with four legs, two pointed ears, and long snout that curves upward at the tip. Figure has three-dimensional eyes on either side of its head, and a tail that wraps around its right hind leg; nostrils and mouth incised on end of snout. There are circular openings in the centre of eyes, imitating pupils. Two three-dimensional bands are draped over the figure's back, below the neck and above the hind legs; bands have dots imprinted across them. Artist mark imprinted on belly.
Figure is meant to be a replica of an artifact from the archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilization (2600-1900 BCE), located west of Sahiwal in central Punjab.
Purchased by the donor from the artist at the "Daachi" craft fair in Lahore in 2018. The artist's father, Muhammad Nawaz, worked with American archaeologist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer on the Harappa Archaeological Research Project, to help him understand how ancient pottery might have been made. Nawaz began the project to replicate ancient vessels, in collaboration with Kenoyer, and Allah Ditta continued the work after his father's death.