William Spratling
Eagle Pitcher (Jarra con asa en forma de águila)1940-1944

Not on view

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Eagle Pitcher (Jarra con asa en forma de águila)
Date Made: 1940-1944
Medium: Silver, rosewood
Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (16.51 × 19 × 10.5 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2015.190.10
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: 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. By the 1940s, the workshop had grown exponentially and was focused on the large-scale production of handwrought items. His sleek modern designs attracted consumers in the United States, where they were widely available in department stores. This pitcher, with its rosewood eagle-shaped handle that recalls Mesoamerican art (see, e.g., AC1992.134.29), was featured on the cover of the Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue in 1943. Priced at sixty-five dollars, the pitcher could be purchased by mail order to ship around the United States.

Rachel Kaplan

2025
Copyright: © artist or artist's estate

Not on view

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Eagle Pitcher (Jarra con asa en forma de águila)
Date Made: 1940-1944
Medium: Silver, rosewood
Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (16.51 × 19 × 10.5 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2015.190.10
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: 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. By the 1940s, the workshop had grown exponentially and was focused on the large-scale production of handwrought items. His sleek modern designs attracted consumers in the United States, where they were widely available in department stores. This pitcher, with its rosewood eagle-shaped handle that recalls Mesoamerican art (see, e.g., AC1992.134.29), was featured on the cover of the Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue in 1943. Priced at sixty-five dollars, the pitcher could be purchased by mail order to ship around the United States.

Rachel Kaplan

2025