HM 5098

HM 5098:Deer and Antelope
AD 1000-1250, Mexico

Description: Appraisal96 Ochre on white bowl. Four deer, two antelope. Three hunters disguised as two deer and an antelope. One hunter has a deer over his shoulder. Line rim design. The bowl was 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.