1940s Spratling Mexican Sterling Silver Water Pitcher

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Holiday Glitz - Ancient / Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Nov 29, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-11-29 10:00:00 2018-11-29 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Holiday Glitz - Ancient / Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/holiday-glitz---ancient-ethnographic-art-3672
What to give this holiday season? Think silver, gold, bronze, shiny, glittery, wearable, festive. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. This is one sale you don't want to miss! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  William Spratling (American, 1900-1967), Mexico, ca. 1940 to 1946 CE. A stunning sterling silver water pitcher created by William Spratling, the American expatriate artist, author, and entrepreneur best known for his work as a silversmith and designer who revitalized Taxco, Mexico's silver industry in the early to mid 20th century. Note one of Spratling's hallmarks dating to the 1940s and reading "Spratling Made in Mexico" around a stylized bird with STERLING printed below, graces the underside of the base. The pouring vessel presents a stylish design comprised of a spherical body adorned with a 10-petaled open flower blossom on each side, an elegant pouring spout, and an arched handle, both the rear end of the spout and the base of handle are adorned with looped, ribbon-like motifs. Wonderful hand hammering impressions are visible on the interior. Size: 8" W at widest point x 7.5" H (20.3 cm x 19 cm) Weight: 1074.5 grams
  
  William Spratling made his initial visit to Mexico in 1926, and returned each summer for the next several years. Finally, in 1929, Spratling actually moved to Mexico to be an expatriate, becoming an active member of the vibrant artistic circles of Mexico. Spratling promoted the art of none other than Diego Rivera to New York galleries which led to Rivera's participation in the first exhibition of Mexican visual culture held in the United States, funded by the Carnegie Institute, that opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Not only did Spratling assist in curating the exhibition, but he also lent a number of his own pieces. During this same time period, Spratling was working on drawings for the expanding Morrow (US Ambassador to Mexico Dwight Morrow and his wife, the poet Elizabeth Cutter Morrow) home in Cuernavaca. Many of these drawings were included in the book written by Elizabeth Morrow entitled, "Casa Mañana" (Knopf, 1930). It was Ambassador Morrow who suggested that Spratling explore developing the silver industry in Taxco.
  
  Trying to find a way to support himself as an expatriate artist, Spratling took notice of the Taxco's silver-mining history and opened a workshop called the Taller de las Delicias, which translates to "Factory of Delights". Years later, he would write: “Nineteen-thirty-one was a notable year in modern Mexican silversmithing. A young silversmith from Iguala named Artemio Navarrete went to Taxco to work for a small silver shop, founded with the germ of an idea, where Artemio, as a nucleus, began to form silversmiths. The present writer, encouraged by his friends Moises Saenz, Dwight Morrow and Diego Rivera, had set up that little shop called ‘Las Delicias.’”
  
  Penny Chittim Morrill, Ph.D., who co-authored :Mexican Silver: 20th Century Hand-wrought Jewelry & Silver" with art dealer Carole Berk is the primary authority on Spratling’s work. Morrill was the guest curator for the 2002 traveling exhibition entitled, "William Spratling and the Mexican Silver Renaissance: Maestros de Plata," organized by the San Diego Museum of Art. In her catalogue essay, Morrill stated, “In establishing silver as an artistic medium, what Spratling achieved was a delicate balance, a synthesis of abstract tendencies in the existent folk art tradition and in contemporary fine art, resulting in a visualization of concepts and ideas. As importantly, the Taller de las Delicias, became the paradigm for other silver designers to follow. Las Delicias was a community in which imagination and innovation were fostered and encouraged as the men learned the art of silversmithing while producing for profit. In the hierarchy of the workshop, these silversmiths advanced according to their ability, enthusiasm, and technical expertise.”
  
  Provenance: ex private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #125694

  Condition

  Minor tarnish. Wonderful hand hammering marks visible on interior. Hallmark is a tad worn, but still decipherable.
• Shipping Info

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