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Ladle

Arts of the Americas

Ancient Pueblo (Anasazi) Pottery: A Spectrum of Black and White

Puebloan people excelled at creating an immense variety of pottery using only black and white. This color scheme was partly dictated by the nature of the clay and the mineral or plant paints available. Archaeologists surmise that cross-hatched designs like the one on this bowl may have represented the color turquoise—reflecting the precious stone and the color of water, a sacred commodity in the dry Southwest region.
MEDIUM Clay, slip, carbon pigment
DATES 900–1300
DIMENSIONS 13 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (33.7 x 13.3 x 8.3 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER 03.325.10847
CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1903, Purchased with funds given by A. Augustus Healy and George Foster Peabody
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Ladle, clay slip with pigment design on top. The bowl has a quadrilateral design consisting of interlocking angular figures surrounding four negative triangles and a negative circle. The handle has a small, solid triangle pointing outward from the bowl, followed by a bold design consisting of a negative chevron set between two interlocking spirals within a thick black band. Condition: Very good. Black writing on base reads "03.181," red writing on base reads "03.325.10847," writing on handle reads "10847" in two places.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Possibly Ancestral Pueblo. Ladle, 900–1300. Clay, slip, carbon pigment, 13 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (33.7 x 13.3 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1903, Purchased with funds given by A. Augustus Healy and George Foster Peabody, 03.325.10847. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.03.325.10847_view2.jpg)
IMAGE overall, CUR.03.325.10847_view2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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Possibly Ancestral Pueblo. <em>Ladle</em>, 900–1300. Clay, slip, carbon pigment, 13 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (33.7 x 13.3 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1903, Purchased with funds given by A. Augustus Healy and George Foster Peabody, 03.325.10847. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.03.325.10847_view2.jpg)