Serpent Brooch (Prendedor en forma de serpiente)

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Serpent Brooch (Prendedor en forma de serpiente)

Mexico, circa 1940
Jewelry and Adornments; brooches
Silver
1 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (3.81 × 4.76 cm)
Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California (M.2015.70.3)
Latin American Art
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Héctor Aguilar was one of Taxco’s most talented designers. In 1935 he began working for William Spratling (1900–1967) as a shop manager at the Taller de Las Delicias.

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Héctor Aguilar was one of Taxco’s most talented designers. In 1935 he began working for William Spratling (1900–1967) as a shop manager at the Taller de Las Delicias. Two years later he apprenticed with Spratling, and by 1939 he opened his own workshop, the Taller Borda, recruiting and training hundreds of silversmiths and going on to become one of the leading silver industries of Taxco. Many of Aguilar’s objects show his interest in ancient art and architecture, including this serpent brooch—part of a set that represents Aztec and Mixtec calendric symbols.


Ilona Katzew, Curator and Department Head, Latin American Art
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Bibliography

  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. Found in Translation: Design in California and Mexico, 1915-1985. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2017.