Product Description

With a new section of maker's marks and new photographs, here is the powerful story of the silver renaissance in Mexico from the 1920s to the present. The wealth of color photos showcases the incomparable beauty of jewelry, tableware, and art works in silver. Extensive research sheds new light on the life and art of William Spratling, Margot van Voorhies, Fred Davis, and Hubert Harmon, and on the artisans who worked for them, making this book the definitive study of Mexican silver jewelry and decorative objects.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210240 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From Library Journal
Settling in the mountain town of Taxco in 1931, American architect William Spratling started a distinctive revival of Mexican silverwork by fusing pre-Columbian design and 20th-century sensibility. This history of that revival, which has been given an overbroad title, profiles Spratling and scores of designers both Mexican and foreign who contributed to the formation of a style that diverges widely from Baroque-influenced silver produced in other parts of Mexico. Because the numerous color photos that illustrate the production of each workshop include little technical information, this book will appeal more to collectors and art historians than to artists seeking details of production.
David McClelland, Temple Univ, Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

MEXICAN SILVER BY MORRILL
ABSOLUTELY A MUST FOR THE MEXICAN SILVER COLLECTOR WITH AMPLE PICTURES TO GO WITH THE TEXT. THE BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN WITH PASSAGES ABOUT THE TRUE MASTERS OF THE TAXCO AREA ALONG WITH THEIR COHORTS. IT SHOWS THE HALLMARKS OR TOUCH MARKS ON THE WORK OF THE MASTERS,THIS PROVES TO BE A GODSEND IN IDENTIFING AND UNDERSTANDING THE VALUES OF THIS VERY COLLECTABLE SILVER.IN ALL MY YEARS OF COLLECTIONG MEXICAN SILVER I HAD SUSPECTED THAT SOME DAY, SOMEONE WOULD PUT OUT A KNOWLEDGABLE HANDBOOK FOR THE TRADE AND SPOTLIGHT THE SPRATLINGS, DAVIS AND OTHER ARTISTS. A BIG THANKS GOES TO PENNY MORRILL, AND HERE STAFF.i.e CAROL BERK

Mexican Silver's artful insight
The is virtually pure eye candy for any one who appreciates this type of fine craftmanship. I like the over 400 color photographs. This is the best way for someone to get the true feeling of this type of art. I missed some kind of explanation of rarity for some of these creations. This was one of the main reasons I was looking for this kind of reference. Nonetheless this is an exquisite reference book with 272pp and a feast for the eyes. It's worth the price.

Mexican Silver
I was disapointed in the book personally.. It's just a great big heavy picture book. (eye candy)
I believe a collector would appreciate a non vague value guides as well which this book does not have. The value guides are exp: Margot necklaces - 600.00-2500.00+ huh? What is my blue enamel circle necklace worth?? 600.00 or 2500.00?!
This is a book about a select few mexican silver makers and their life stories. (few pages on unknowns)
Perhaps a good book to have on a coffee table but that is not what I needed.
I had hoped this book would help to identify mexican marks I have that can't be found on the internet, all of the silversmiths listed in the book can be and are well documented online. There are personal accounts as well but for the most part this is a coffee table book.
It is very expensive so I hope I can help anyone looking for exact value guides from buying the wrong book.
If you like to collect Mexican jewelry you probably should eventually get this book, but as far as a good value guide line for Mexican non-well known Jewelry go else where.