Mimbres Painted Pottery (Southwest Indian Arts Series)

A distinguished scholar of Southwestern Native arts for over thirty years, J. J. Brody here returns to his early work on the Mimbres ceramic tradition, which established him as the leading authority on the arts of this ancient people. The Mimbres cultural florescence between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1140 remains one of the most visually astonishing and anthropologically intriguing questions in Southwest prehistory. In this revised edition, Dr. Brody incorporates the extensive fieldwork done on Mimbres sites since the original publication in 1977, updating his discussion of village life, the larger world in which the Mimbres people lived, and how the art that they practiced illuminates these wider issues. He addresses human and animal iconography, the importance of perspective and motion in perceiving Mimbres artistry, and the technology used to produce the ceramics. Placing the study of ancient art and artifacts in the present, he notes the impact of the antiquities market on archaeological and artistic research. This lively, engaging work will interest archaeologists, art historians, and all people who enjoy the beauty, humor, and humanity of Mimbres pottery. Featuring over one hundred new illustrations and insights drawn from a lifetime of study and contemplation, this is much more than a revised edition. Indeed, it establishes a new standard for the artistic interpretation of a classic Southwestern culture for the new century.