William Spratling
Olmec-Style Earrings (Aretes estilo olmeca)early 1960s

Not on view

Pair of drop earrings with carved blue-gray-green stone pendants, gold wire hooks, flat gold disc inlays, and dangling gold bead fringe at the base

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Olmec-Style Earrings (Aretes estilo olmeca)
Date Made: early 1960s
Medium: Jade with gold mounting
Dimensions: 3 1/8 × 3/4 × 1 in. (7.94 × 1.91 × 2.54 cm) each
Credit Line: Gift of Gilbert A. Hampton and James Economos
Accession Number: M.2013.30a-b
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Celebrated silver designer William Spratling began working with gold in the late 1950s and soon introduced what he marketed as “authentic and unique pieces of pre-Columbian jade, rock crystal, shell, etc.” into his jewelry. These one-of-a-kind dangling earrings exemplify Spratling’s fascination with Mesoamerican art. Their elongated profiles recall carved jade Olmec figures (M.2023.61.534), which Spratling embellished with gold. Jade was among the most valuable and sacred materials for the Olmec culture, and was often fashioned into adornments and other prized objects by highly skilled artisans.

Trained as an architect, Spratling moved from New Orleans to Taxco, Mexico, where he established his first silver workshop in 1931. Working alongside master silversmiths and local apprentices, in 1935 he opened his famed Taller de Las Delicias, which attracted a cohort of international artists, intellectuals, and Hollywood celebrities. Spratling’s emphasis on craftsmanship and his experimentation with different sources, including Mesoamerican art, Art Deco, and modernism, contributed to his great success and helped revitalize the Mexican silver industry.

Rachel Kaplan

2024
Copyright: © artist or artist's estate

William Spratling
Olmec-Style Earrings (Aretes estilo olmeca)early 1960s

Not on view

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Olmec-Style Earrings (Aretes estilo olmeca)
Date Made: early 1960s
Medium: Jade with gold mounting
Dimensions: 3 1/8 × 3/4 × 1 in. (7.94 × 1.91 × 2.54 cm) each
Credit Line: Gift of Gilbert A. Hampton and James Economos
Accession Number: M.2013.30a-b
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: Celebrated silver designer William Spratling began working with gold in the late 1950s and soon introduced what he marketed as “authentic and unique pieces of pre-Columbian jade, rock crystal, shell, etc.” into his jewelry. These one-of-a-kind dangling earrings exemplify Spratling’s fascination with Mesoamerican art. Their elongated profiles recall carved jade Olmec figures (M.2023.61.534), which Spratling embellished with gold. Jade was among the most valuable and sacred materials for the Olmec culture, and was often fashioned into adornments and other prized objects by highly skilled artisans.

Trained as an architect, Spratling moved from New Orleans to Taxco, Mexico, where he established his first silver workshop in 1931. Working alongside master silversmiths and local apprentices, in 1935 he opened his famed Taller de Las Delicias, which attracted a cohort of international artists, intellectuals, and Hollywood celebrities. Spratling’s emphasis on craftsmanship and his experimentation with different sources, including Mesoamerican art, Art Deco, and modernism, contributed to his great success and helped revitalize the Mexican silver industry.

Rachel Kaplan

2024