Ware Name: Mimbres Decorated / White Ware

First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Mogollon decorated types described here include one painted type that is not slipped (Mogollon Red-on-brown) and slipped Mimbres white wares. Mimbres White Ware refers to the white slipped and painted pottery forms produced in the Mimbres Mogollon region. Mogollon painted and Mimbres White Ware exhibit similar pastes and temper as Mogollon brown wares. Painted decorations are executed in iron-based mineral pigments applied over a white, slipped surface and usually polished over. Surfaces are usually moderately to lightly polished but are not as lustrous as contemporaneous white wares from other regions. The slip tends to be soft and easily weathered, resulting in the common obliteration of painted or slipped surfaces. Painted decorations are executed in a mineral pigment and are usually polished, resulting in a lustrous appearance, as opposed to the duller appearance noted in Cibola white wares. Painted decorations are often distinct from contemporary painted types produced in other regions of the Southwest. A long-lived tradition reflecting the gradual development of Mimbres White Ware from Three Circle Red-on-white to Classic Mimbres Black-on-white is represented. The overall styles noted in Mimbres white wares are also distinct to those noted in white wares from the north. Styles noted for Mogollon Red-on-brown and early Mimbres White Ware types appear to reflect the bold allover designs characteristic of vessels produced in the southernmost regions of the Southwest. Later Mimbres White Wares also differ in the occasional depictions of human and animal life forms.

Related Types

• Mangas (Boldface or Style I) Black-on-white
• Mimbres Classic (Style III) Black-on-white - Polychrome
• Mimbres Transitional (Style II) Black-on-white
• Mogollon Red-on-brown
• Three Circle Red-on-white