Valentín Vidaurreta
Cascabeles (Bells) Bracelet (Brazalete con cascabeles)1945-1950

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Valentín Vidaurreta
Mexico, 1902-1955
Title: Cascabeles (Bells) Bracelet (Brazalete con cascabeles)
Date Made: 1945-1950
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (16.51 × 4.76 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jim and Penny Morrill
Accession Number: M.2015.191.3
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: The small bells (cascabeles) that adorn this bracelet 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, as in this modern example by Valentín Vidaurreta.

A talented painter, sculptor, and designer, Vidaurreta traveled frequently between Mexico City and the famed silver center of Taxco. He worked both independently and in collaboration with other designers such as Frederick Walter Davis (1878–1961) and Héctor Aguilar (1905–1986). When Aguilar opened the Taller Borda in 1939, Vidaurreta provided financial support and the two men frequently worked together there. This bracelet, which is similar to two necklaces by Aguilar (M.2013.4.17; M.2014.160.4), exemplifies the close collaboration between the two artists.

Rachel Kaplan

2025

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Valentín Vidaurreta
Mexico, 1902-1955
Title: Cascabeles (Bells) Bracelet (Brazalete con cascabeles)
Date Made: 1945-1950
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (16.51 × 4.76 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jim and Penny Morrill
Accession Number: M.2015.191.3
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: The small bells (cascabeles) that adorn this bracelet 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, as in this modern example by Valentín Vidaurreta.

A talented painter, sculptor, and designer, Vidaurreta traveled frequently between Mexico City and the famed silver center of Taxco. He worked both independently and in collaboration with other designers such as Frederick Walter Davis (1878–1961) and Héctor Aguilar (1905–1986). When Aguilar opened the Taller Borda in 1939, Vidaurreta provided financial support and the two men frequently worked together there. This bracelet, which is similar to two necklaces by Aguilar (M.2013.4.17; M.2014.160.4), exemplifies the close collaboration between the two artists.

Rachel Kaplan

2025