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. The forms and materials of these works recall some of the ancient prototypes that were excavated from different sites in Mexico at the time. The central pendant of this necklace is fashioned from rock crystal, a type of quartz that was greatly prized in Mesoamerica. Objects made of this hard crystal required highly skilled labor to carve them (see, for example, the fine Mesoamerican grasshopper in LACMA’s collection, M.85.233.5), which further enhanced their value in ancient times.
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. While many of his most popular designs were widely reproduced, this one-of-a-kind necklace was made as a gift for Spratling’s close friend, the American actress and writer Mary Anita Loos (1910–2004).
Rachel Kaplan
2024