HM 4773

HM 4773:Turtle
AD 1000-1250, Mexico

Description: Appraisal96 Black on white bowl. Turtle surrounded by line rim design. Hole in bottom – missing portion of turtle shell. Badly cracked. Repaired. Appears one whole section to the back left foot of the turtle was missing and has been replaced. Donated in 1982 by William P. Palmer III. From the Mimbres culture, the bowls were often found in gravesites. Certain bowls were used as mortuary vessels. These were placed over the head in burials. Their bases were ceremonially “killed” to allow the spirit of the bowl to accompany the deceased’s spirit into the future world.