Bowl · Late Prehistoric
Ancestral Puebloan black-on-white bowl
700–1300 CE, Ancestral Puebloan
The black-on-white bowl is the painted serving vessel of the Ancestral Puebloan Four Corners, about 700 to 1,300 CE, decorated with geometric designs in black mineral or carbon paint on a white slip. Mesa Verde, Chaco, Kayenta and Cibola wares differ in paint, slip and design. Bowls were placed in burials and are the most collected Southwestern pottery.
| Object | Bowl |
|---|---|
| Dates | 700–1300 CE |
| Period | Late Prehistoric |
| Cultures | Ancestral Puebloan |
| Regions | North America — Southwest |
Diagnostic traits
Hemispherical bowl with mineral or carbon black geometric designs on a white slip; Mesa Verde and Chaco wares are the best known.
Identification
The white slip and black geometric paint distinguish it from Mimbres, which is figurative and from a different tradition, and from Hohokam red-on-buff; Mesa Verde has thick walls, a polished slip and carbon paint, while Chaco has hachured designs and mineral paint. Rims are often ticked. Grey corrugated jars are the companion utility ware.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproductions from New Mexico and Chihuahua are abundant, often signed then stripped; fakes have uniform slip without crazing, no interior use wear and no fire clouds. Ancient bowls are nearly always worn, pitted and stained.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Ancestral Puebloan black-on-white bowl" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/ancestral-puebloan-black-on-white-bowl. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-ancestral-puebloan-black-on-white-bowl,
title = {Ancestral Puebloan black-on-white bowl},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/ancestral-puebloan-black-on-white-bowl}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.