Héctor Aguilar
Cascabeles Necklace (Collar con cascabeles)circa 1940

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Héctor Aguilar
Mexico, 1905-1986
Title: Cascabeles Necklace (Collar con cascabeles)
Date Made: circa 1940
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 1 1/2 × 16 1/4 × 6 3/4 in. (3.81 × 41.28 × 17.15 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California, in memory of Fred and Stella Krieger
Accession Number: M.2013.4.17
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Héctor Aguilar was an avid collector of Mesoamerican art whose modern silver designs reflect deep knowledge of historical sources. This necklace’s repeated cross form with small balls between the arms is reminiscent of the Nahua glyph for gold (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/722247). The tiny bells (cascabeles) recall those donned by Mesoamerican dancers, warriors, and others for ceremonial and ritual practices. Ancient cascabeles were typically attached to garments or worn around the ankle or wrist.

The complex design of this necklace required the work of half a dozen craftsmen over several days. Like many other silver designers, Aguilar first apprenticed at William Spratling’s Taller de Las Delicias in Taxco (established in 1935) before forging out on his own. Along with his wife Lois Smith Cartwright, Aguilar founded the Taller Borda in 1939, a silver workshop that became known for the high quality of its elaborate works.

Rachel Kaplan

2024
Copyright: © artist or artist's estate

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Héctor Aguilar
Mexico, 1905-1986
Title: Cascabeles Necklace (Collar con cascabeles)
Date Made: circa 1940
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 1 1/2 × 16 1/4 × 6 3/4 in. (3.81 × 41.28 × 17.15 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California, in memory of Fred and Stella Krieger
Accession Number: M.2013.4.17
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Héctor Aguilar was an avid collector of Mesoamerican art whose modern silver designs reflect deep knowledge of historical sources. This necklace’s repeated cross form with small balls between the arms is reminiscent of the Nahua glyph for gold (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/722247). The tiny bells (cascabeles) recall those donned by Mesoamerican dancers, warriors, and others for ceremonial and ritual practices. Ancient cascabeles were typically attached to garments or worn around the ankle or wrist.

The complex design of this necklace required the work of half a dozen craftsmen over several days. Like many other silver designers, Aguilar first apprenticed at William Spratling’s Taller de Las Delicias in Taxco (established in 1935) before forging out on his own. Along with his wife Lois Smith Cartwright, Aguilar founded the Taller Borda in 1939, a silver workshop that became known for the high quality of its elaborate works.

Rachel Kaplan

2024