Dogs were used in the hunt and this may have been the origin of their symbolic link with death. Hunted animals were sometimes perceived as messengers of the Otherworld powers, the means of bringing living humans, either directly or indirectly, to the underworld.
The hunted creature itself may be enchanted or possess magical qualities: it may be a transformed human or a god in zoomorphic form.
In 'Pwyll', Arawn, king of the underworld, has a pack of shining white, red-eared dogs, their colouring proclaiming their Otherworld origins.
The Cwn Annwn or Hounds of Annwn were death omens, described in an early Welsh poem as small, speckled and greyish-red, chained and led by a black-horned figure. These were ghost dogs which appeared only at night to foretell death, sent from Annwn to seek out human souls.
This piece is made in an enamelling technique called 'grisaille' (which means 'grey' in french) It is a monochrome technique usually done on a black background.It involves painting layers with very finely ground glass and oxide each of which is fired separately. These pieces are typically fired around 10 times.
The piece is 1 1/2" in diameter with an 18" necklace strung with onyx and pearl.
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