Watch: Michael Cothren

During his SwatTalk, Scheuer Family Professor of Humanities Michael Cothren discussed his work determining whether, through close visual and technical analysis, the work of individual artists can be distinguished on the painted bowls surviving from the Classic Period of the Mimbres culture of southwest New Mexico circa 1000–1150. He explains what prompted him to embark on this endeavor and his work with Steven LeBlanc at Harvard’s Peabody Museum during his most recent sabbatical.