HM 4777

HM 4777:Deer
AD 1000-1250, Mexico

Description: Appraisal96 Black on white bowl. Single deer surrounded by a curvilinear border design. Several repaired cracks. Piece missing in bottom – part of deer’s torso missing. 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.