Lot 350
Native American, Southwest United States, Mimbres culture, ca. 1000 to 1130 CE. A Mimbres pottery bowl animated by the painted image of a bird in motion, its form and meaning brought into sharp focus by a ritual kill hole pierced at the center of the design. The bowl is hemispherical in form, with a pale slipped interior that serves as a quiet stage for the central figure. Painted in dark mineral pigment, the bird appears mid-stride, its curved body, extended tail, and delicate legs rendered with economy and confidence. The eye is alert, the beak slightly open, lending the figure a sense of immediacy, as if caught between earth and air. The kill hole interrupts the bird's body, a deliberate act that transforms the vessel from functional object into ceremonial offering. Size: 5.7" L x 5.3" W x 3.4" H (14.5 cm x 13.5 cm x 8.6 cm)
Encircling the interior rim is a geometric band composed of stepped triangles, linear hatching, and curling elements, framing the central image with rhythmic precision. This border both contains and activates the scene, a hallmark of classic Mimbres design where narrative imagery and abstract geometry coexist in careful balance.
The exterior is undecorated, bearing the soft wear and tonal variation of use and age, emphasizing the importance of the interior image as the primary visual and symbolic focus. Mimbres bowls were often placed inverted over the faces of the deceased, with the kill hole symbolically releasing the spirit or allowing passage between worlds. The bird motif, frequently associated with movement, transformation, and the sky realm, reinforces this theme of transition. Intimate in scale yet profound in meaning, this bowl exemplifies the intellectual clarity and visual restraint of Mimbres ceramic art. It is an object designed not merely to be seen, but to be understood within a larger cosmology where image, ritual, and material are inseparable.
Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection, acquired prior to 2002
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#201035
- Condition: Kill hole at center. Some surface wear as shown, as well as retouching in small areas. Otherwise, very nice with good remaining decoration.
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