This Michoacán bowl, dating to 1000–1400 CE, is a fine example of West Mexican ceramic tradition during the Postclassic period. Formed in a shallow, rounded shape, the bowl is decorated with a painted motif of a running birds, executed in bold strokes across the exterior.
Painted in iron-rich slips, the design contrasts against the burnished clay surface, creating a striking visual effect. Vessels like this may have served both domestic and ceremonial purposes, functioning as containers while also carrying layered symbolic meaning.
Today, this bowl stands as an evocative survival of Michoacán’s ceramic artistry, prized for its lively decoration and its place within the broader cultural exchange of Postclassic Mesoamerica.
Condition: evidently cracked and repaired as pictured
