William Spratling
Necklace with Pre-Columbian Linear Motifcirca 1940

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Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Necklace with Pre-Columbian Linear Motif
Date Made: circa 1940
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 1 3/8 × 20 in. (3.49 × 50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2019.22.5
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
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. 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. The fluid, interlocking lines of this necklace recall Mesoamerican motifs.

Rachel Kaplan

2024

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: William Spratling
United States, active Mexico, 1900-1967
Title: Necklace with Pre-Columbian Linear Motif
Date Made: circa 1940
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: 1 3/8 × 20 in. (3.49 × 50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Ronald A. Belkin, Long Beach, California
Accession Number: M.2019.22.5
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
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. 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. The fluid, interlocking lines of this necklace recall Mesoamerican motifs.

Rachel Kaplan

2024