Painted by a Distant Hand: Mimbres Pottery from the American Southwest

by Steven A. LeBlanc, Rubie Watson (Foreword by), Hillel S. Burger (Photographer)

Overview

Highlighting one of the Peabody Museum's most important archaeological expeditions—the excavation of the Swarts Ranch Ruin in southwestern New Mexico by Harriet and Burton Cosgrove in the mid-1920s—Steven LeBlanc's book features rare, never-before-published examples of Mimbres painted pottery, considered by many scholars to be the most unique of all the ancient art traditions of North America. Made between A.D. 1000 and 1150, these pottery bowls and jars depict birds, fish, insects, and mammals that the Mimbres encountered in their daily lives, portray mythical beings, and show humans participating in both ritual and everyday activities. LeBlanc traces the origins of the Mimbres people and what became of them, and he explores our present understanding of what the images mean and what scholars have learned about the Mimbres people in the 75 years since the Cosgroves' expedition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780873654029
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	04/30/2005
Series:	Peabody Museum Collections Series , #7
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)

About the Author

Steven A. LeBlanc is an archaeologist and former Director of Collections at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University.

Rubie Watson is Curator of Comparative Ethnology in the Harvard University Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Hillel S. Burger is a professional photographer.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword: Exploring Museum Collections, by Rubie Watson

Acknowledgments

The Beginnings of a Collection

A Brief History of the Mimbres People

Mimbres Daily Life

Mimbres Painted Pottery

What Is Being Depicted?

Who Painted the Bowls?

What Happened to the Mimbres People?

Mimbres Designs as Inspiration

Color Plates

Notes

Suggested Reading

Editorial Reviews

Steven LeBlanc has compiled a very nice, easily comprehended guide for the lay reader that enhances one's knowledge and appreciation of the Mimbres pottery and culture. The book contains several sections that provide an introduction to the Mimbres area and culture, including a background for the Swarts Ruin collection, a brief history of the Mimbres people, and a perspective of their daily life.

Journal of Anthropological Research - Harry Shafer

Stephen LeBlanc's Painted by a Distant Hand is a slim but informative volume inspired by a two-year-long exhibit of Mimbres (A.D. 200-1100) pottery at Harvard's Peabody Museum...LeBlanc discusses the meaning of the pottery's figurative imagery and abstract patterns, the artists who created them (most likely women), and what they indicate about daily life, all in clear, straightforward prose.

Archaeology

Steven LeBlanc has compiled a very nice, easily comprehended guide for the lay reader that enhances one's knowledge and appreciation of the Mimbres pottery and culture. The book contains several sections that provide an introduction to the Mimbres area and culture, including a background for the Swarts Ruin collection, a brief history of the Mimbres people, and a perspective of their daily life.

— Harry Shafer

Journal of Anthropological Research