This vessel measures about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Decoration is in black paint on a burnished white clay surface.

Bowls with a constricted mouth like this are known as "seed jars" because similar bowls were used historically by Pueblo people to store seed. The small mouth helps avoid spillage.

Based on its design and material, this belongs to the ceramic type named "Red Mesa Black-on-white" after a location in Arizona where it was first identified.

Red Mesa Black-on-white was the most common style of decorated pottery used at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico during the period AD 900-1030.

< Back to Gallery