William Spratling Monumental Bowl Sterling

A vintage, circa 1940s signed sterling silver bracelet by William Spratling. This design is called Feather of Quetzalcoatl. According to "Spratling Silver: A Field Guide", by Phyllis Goddard, this bracelet was designed during William Spratling's first design period, 1931-1946. But first things first, who is Quetzalcoatl? According to this Wikipedia article, "The name Quetzalcoatl comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". In the 17th century, Ixtlilxóchitl, a descendant of Aztec royalty and historian of the Nahua people, wrote, "Quetzalcoatl, in its literal sense, means 'serpent of precious feathers' but in the allegorical sense, 'wisest of men'."" Ah! So that must be why Spratling called this design 'Feather of Quetzalcoatl! But hang on there, how did Spratling come to learn about Quetzalcoatl? Well according to the website Elisa Rolle, "When lecturing at the National University of Mexico's Summer School in 1926-1928, Spratling quickly integrated himself into the Mexican art scene and became a friend and a strong proponent of the work of muralist Diego Rivera, for whom he organized an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Using money received from commissions he organized for Rivera, Spratling bought a home in Taxco, Mexico in 1928, where he began work on a book, Little Mexico, about this small mountain town. Spratling was gay, but most accounts of his life mention this only indirectly if at all. Spratling amassed a large collection of Pre-Columbian figurines...

Over-scaled, freeform glass bowl with amazing shape and scale. Very unique and beautiful accent piece.

A fabulous vintage Asian centerpiece ceramic bowl. A classic Asian design with vines and flowers. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.

This huge signed Roseville sponge ware pottery mixing bowl is in pristine condition. These large size bowls are super rare and in fine condition is even be...

A fine antique Irish sterling silver footed bowl by William Egan, County Cork, 1911. The bowl having an everted rim above a stepped globular body which i...

Amazing Wiliam Spratling Dominoes set made of ebony wood and silver inlay. William Spratling (September 22, 1900–August 7, 1967) was an Americ...