William Spratling
Star Brooch (Prendedor en forma de estrella)1944-1946

Not on view

Silver-toned eight-pointed star brooch with alternating wide and needle-thin rays, set with four round mottled teal and blue cabochon stones and wire scroll details at the center

Close-up photograph of sterling silver hallmarks on the reverse of a silver object, showing a circular maker's stamp reading "SPRATLING / MADE IN MEXICO" with an eagle motif, beside a rectangular raised stamp reading "STERLING."

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Star Brooch (Prendedor en forma de estrella)
Date Made: 1944-1946
Medium: Silver, azurite, and malachite
Dimensions: 4 5/16 × 4 5/16 × 1/2 in. (11 × 11 × 1.27 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2015.249.2
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: William Spratling was a leading figure in the resurgence of the Mexican silver industry in the twentieth century. This starburst brooch, which combines silver with azurite and malachite, is representative of Spratling’s interest in alternating contrasting materials and colors (see also M.2015.249.1). He first used the blue and green minerals in 1944, which became a hallmark of many of his subsequent designs.

An architect from New Orleans, Spratling established his first workshop in Taxco, Mexico, in 1931, working alongside a local master silversmith and several young apprentices. A brilliant marketing strategist, Spratling set out to reinvigorate Taxco’s economy by employing local artisans, catalyzing a renaissance in the Mexican silver industry. Insistence on handiwork and experimentation contributed to a thriving local industry. Designers and craftspeople drew on and creatively reinterpreted a variety of sources, including Mesoamerican art, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and modernist motifs.

Ilona Katzew

2024
Copyright: © artist or artist's estate

William Spratling
Star Brooch (Prendedor en forma de estrella)1944-1946

Not on view

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Star Brooch (Prendedor en forma de estrella)
Date Made: 1944-1946
Medium: Silver, azurite, and malachite
Dimensions: 4 5/16 × 4 5/16 × 1/2 in. (11 × 11 × 1.27 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2015.249.2
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: William Spratling was a leading figure in the resurgence of the Mexican silver industry in the twentieth century. This starburst brooch, which combines silver with azurite and malachite, is representative of Spratling’s interest in alternating contrasting materials and colors (see also M.2015.249.1). He first used the blue and green minerals in 1944, which became a hallmark of many of his subsequent designs.

An architect from New Orleans, Spratling established his first workshop in Taxco, Mexico, in 1931, working alongside a local master silversmith and several young apprentices. A brilliant marketing strategist, Spratling set out to reinvigorate Taxco’s economy by employing local artisans, catalyzing a renaissance in the Mexican silver industry. Insistence on handiwork and experimentation contributed to a thriving local industry. Designers and craftspeople drew on and creatively reinterpreted a variety of sources, including Mesoamerican art, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and modernist motifs.

Ilona Katzew

2024