William Spratling Vindobonensis Bracelet

Another iconic bracelet designed by William Spratling of Taxco, Mexico. This one was among his earliest silver designs as it's from the 1930s. This bracelet happens to be featured in Mexican Silver by Carol and Berk on pages 43 and 238. It's clearly beautiful, but it is also unprecedented in its weight compared to other Vindobonesis bracelets I've researched. A surprising 100 grams, and slightly heavier than the few other bracelets of this style. It's made of a purer silver than .925 called Spratling Silver or silver 980. The word is that it was more ideal to work with and takes longer to oxidize. Rather, it creates a warm silver patina, but how did we get here? Well, at 21, Spratling moved from upstate New York to New Orleans to work as an architecture instructor at Tulane University. During his time there, he lived with would-be Nobel laureate William Faulkner and even wrote a book with him called, Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles: A Gallery of Contemporary New Orleans. He traveled often and happened to have visited a small village in Mexico north of Taxco. He would fall in love with this town and decided to move there permanently. Among the many things Spratling came to adore in his new home, pre-Colombian art captivated him. The Vindobonesis Codex which is a pre-Columbian Mixtec manuscript was a deep source of inspiration. It is colorfully illustrated and lists important figures such as deities and rulers of the region's past. It is apparent that this bracelet is symbolic of his reverence. Its intricate design and hearty weight make it a rare collectible. Spratling made holloware and even chairs for Marylyn Monroe. Unfortunately, this iconic silver arts master passed away in 1967.

Today, his collection of 293 archeological pieces rest in a museum in his name. The William Spratling Museum (Museo Guillermo Spratling) is in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico. Spratling's work is so celebrated, the museum also dedicated space to his silverwork designs and the workshops or tallers (ateliers) that grew out of his tutelage and the collective creativity of the Taxco community.