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William
Spratling and the
Mexican Silver Renaissance:
Maestros de Plata
by
Penny C. Morrill
$45 (284 page paperback)
William
Spratling revolutionized silver jewelry design in Mexico. Arriving in
Taxco in 1929, by 1940 he had over 100 silversmiths producing his
enormously popular silver creations. Important figures of the North
American literary and art establishment, among them John dos Passos,
William Faulkner, and Georgia O'Keeffe, purchased his designs and sang his
praises. Out of Spratling's workshop emerged many of Mexico's finest
silver designers, including Héctor Aguilar, Antonio Castillo and his
brothers Jorge and Justo, Salvador Terán, and Antonio Pineda. Today their
striking jewelry and hollowware in silver-often set with precious stones
and pre-Columbian artifacts-are prized collectibles. This book tells the story of the legendary designer and
of seven decades of the silversmith's art in Mexico. With its elegant
photographs and an invaluable appendix of hallmarks, this volume-which
accompanies a traveling exhibition that will draw new attention to
Spratling's silver designs-will appeal to collectors, dealers, scholars,
and everyone who enjoys beautiful jewelry. |