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Collections

Frederick Walter Davis
Butterfly Brooch (Prendedor en forma de mariposa)circa 1935-1940

Not on view
Silver-toned metal butterfly brooch with segmented body, spiral wire antennae, raised dome bosses on spread wings, and scroll wire detailing
Artist or Maker
Frederick Walter Davis
United States, active Mexico, 1878-1961
Title
Butterfly Brooch (Prendedor en forma de mariposa)
Date Made
circa 1935-1940
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
3 1/2 × 4 3/4 × 1 in. (8.89 × 12.07 × 2.54 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number
M.2013.4.1
Classification
Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area
Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes
Frederick Walter Davis, a silver designer and promoter of Mexican art, lived and worked in Mexico City, managing major arts and crafts showrooms at the Palacio de Iturbide and Sanborn's. Davis played a major role in the regeneration of indigenous craftsmanship in Mexico, helping to revitalize many vanishing traditions. Inspired by pre-Columbian mythology, butterfly brooches such as this were especially appealing.
Selected 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.