Bowl with Painted Motifs
ARTIST CULTURE: Mimbres
DATE: c.1060â1110
MATERIAL: Ceramic with pigment
FOUND IN: New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North and Central America, Eby Ranch site
Provenience unknown, possibly looted
The Mimbres developed a highly refined tradition of pottery that is characterized by beautifully painted narrative scenes. The central, concave area of this bowlâs interior depicts an animal with the outstretched wings of a bat and the ears of a rabbit. The peoples descended from the Mimbres probably reflect the beliefs of their ancestors when they see bats as messengers of death and creatures that accompany the deceased to the underworld; rabbits are associated with the moon. The white background and circular shape of this bowl suggest a full moon as the background for the silhouette of the flying creature. Bowls of this kind were placed over the face of the deceased, perhaps in hopes that the image within the bowl would guide the spirit safely through the underworld.
SLAM
