Lot 14
Native American, Southwest United States, Mogollon, Mimbres culture, Pueblo II period, ca. 900 to 1000 CE. A Mimbres Mogollon pottery bowl defined by its crisp black-on-white geometry and a centrally pierced kill hole, an object where visual order and ritual purpose meet without apology. The bowl is hemispherical in form, with a pale slipped interior that provides sharp contrast for the painted design. Radiating around the interior wall is a sequence of triangular panels filled with fine parallel hatching and stepped zigzag motifs, arranged in a balanced, repeating rhythm. These angular forms create a sense of rotation and containment, guiding the eye around the bowl before drawing it inward toward the center. At the center, a deliberate kill hole punctures the base, interrupting the design and signaling the vessel's ceremonial role. This act transformed the bowl from a functional object into a ritual one, commonly associated with mortuary practices. Size: 8.8" Diameter x 4.5" H (22.4 cm x 11.4 cm)
Mimbres bowls were often placed inverted over the faces of the deceased, and the kill hole is widely interpreted as a symbolic opening through which the spirit could pass.
The exterior is plain and softly burnished, bearing subtle surface wear and mineral accretions consistent with age and burial. The contrast between the undecorated exterior and the carefully structured interior underscores the importance of the bowl's inner surface as the primary site of meaning and visual expression. This bowl exemplifies the intellectual clarity of Mimbres ceramic traditions, where precision, restraint, and symbolism are tightly interwoven. It is an object that communicates through structure rather than narrative, offering a quiet but forceful presence that continues to resonate centuries after its creation.
Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection, acquired April 2018; ex-Cowan's Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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#201018
- Condition: Kill hole at center. Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over some break lines; chipping along other visible break lines. Some light surface wear, but, otherwise, very nice presentation with good remaining decoration.
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