Mimbres Ceramic Vessel

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by James Blake Wiener
published on 16 January 2018

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Mimbres Ceramic Vessel — This Mimbres ceramic vessel dates from 1000-1150 CE. It was made by the Mimbres people who inhabited what's present-day New Mexico from c. 1000-1250 CE. Early Mimbres vessels were decorated with geometric designs painted in black and white. Combinations of circles and triangles, spirals, and thin parallel lines were arranged in three or four implied segments on the interior surface of the round vessels, often suggesting a swirling momentum. Later, in a dramatic innovation, Mimbres potters introduced human and animal forms, including mammals, reptiles, insects, birds, and mythical creatures. Mimbres designs, especially the so-called feather pattern, have been adapted by 20th-century Pueblo potters. Mimbres vessels were made to hold good and water, and served ritual purposes as well. many were intended to provide the dead with sustenance in the next world. If a pot was to be buried, it was first pierced in the center—or "killed"—with a sharp tool to release the spirit within it. (Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, Stanford, California)

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About the Author

James Blake Wiener

James is a writer and former Professor of History. He holds an MA in World History with a particular interest in cross-cultural exchange and world history. He is a co-founder of World History Encyclopedia and formerly was its Communications Director.

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Uploaded by James Blake Wiener, published on 16 January 2018. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

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APA Style

Wiener, J. B. (2018, January 16). Mimbres Ceramic Vessel. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7951/mimbres-ceramic-vessel/

Chicago Style

Wiener, James Blake. "Mimbres Ceramic Vessel." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 16, 2018. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7951/mimbres-ceramic-vessel/.

MLA Style

Wiener, James Blake. "Mimbres Ceramic Vessel." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 16 Jan 2018. Web. 06 Feb 2025.