This example of Mimbres pottery is very unusual because of its shape and large size, and because it has survived completely intact. Large jars decorated with geometric designs were used for carrying and storing water. On the shoulder of this vessel is a wide band of geometric designs including stepped motifs, squared spirals, zigzags, and triangles painted in a soft golden tan. Many of these bowls have a “kill hole,” a jagged hole in the bottom that was made intentionally as part of a funerary ritual before these creations were interred in burials, but this jar does not have one.
Mimbres pottery typically uses bold contrasts of black and white, so this color scheme of warm browns is unusual. Two thin bands of color emphasize the area around the opening of the vase. The complex geometric patterns on the shoulder of the jar rely on the dynamic play of zigzag and diagonal lines. The artist contrasts areas of cream, brown, and cream-and-brown stripes in rhythmic, alternating patterns.
Native American pottery was made using the coiling method. An artist built up a vessel from a flat base by placing coils of clay on top of each other and pinching them together. Using hands, stones, and other tools, the artist then smoothed the surface of the jar.
The Mimbres people lived in the Southwestern corner of present-day New Mexico. Their ancestors, who had arrived in the region by 10,000 B.C., hunted bison and other large game. As the large game became extinct, these nomadic people survived by gathering plants and hunting smaller animals.
Around A.D. 200, the Mimbres people formed small settlements and began to rely on agriculture for food. At the same time they started producing pottery.¹ Between A. D. 750 and 1150, the Mimbres people produced dark-on-light pottery bowls with figures painted on the interior. The height of artistry was achieved by the Mimbres culture, which in its classic phase (1000-1150) produced some of the most sophisticated, imaginative painting on pottery.
1. J. J. Brody, Catherine J. Scott, and Steven A. LeBlanc, Mimbres Pottery, Ancient Art of the American Southwest (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1983), pp. 23-29.
