rarest SPRATLING STERLING SILVER HEAVY SILVER DISKS SET
| Start Price |
USD 120,000.00 |
| Current Price |
USD 120,000.00 |
| Time Left |
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| Bid Count |
0 |
| Buy It Now Price |
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| Reserve Price |
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| Start Time |
Thursday, May 08, 2008 |
| End Time |
Sunday, May 18, 2008 |
| Location |
VISIT LAUREN STANLEY FOR THE BEST SILVER! |
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See more about 'rarest SPRATLING STERLING SILVER HEAVY SILVER DISKS SET'
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Description
LONDON, PARIS, DUBAI..... we're not there. Lauren Stanley is in New York City.Being offered is an exceedingly rare circa 1958 sterling silver 97 piece flatware set by William Spratling of Taxco, Mexico, in the Heavy Silver Disks pattern, . Each of these sets were handmade by special order only. Every single piece was hand-forged and finished. The wire was wrapped by hand, as were the disks applied. There are 12 place settings, each place setting has 8 pieces; and there is a serving spoon. The places pieces and their lengths are listed below. No monogram. Total weighable silver is 160 oz. Marked as illustrated in photo. In excellent condition, including the blades of the large knife. (PLEASE READ MORE ABOUT WILLIAM SPRATLING AND THIS EXTRAORDINARY SET BELOW.) *12 Dinner/Luncheon Forks - each 7 5/8 inches long *12 Salad/Dessert Forks - each 6 inches long *12 Dinner/Luncheon Knives - each 8 1/2 inches long *12 Individual Butter Knives - each 5 1/4 inches long *12 Cocktail/Seafood Forks - each 5 inches long *12 Dessert/Soup Spoons - each 7 5/8 inches long *12 Teaspoons - each 5 3/8 inches long *12 Coffee Spoons - each 3 1/2 inches long *1 Serving Spoon - 9 1/4 inches long Please view our other STERLING items! Be sure to add laurenstanley to your favorites list! You are never sorry when you buy the best! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WILLIAM SPRATLING HEAVY SILVER DISKS FLATWARE Budd Schulberg wrote of Spratling, "He is the only true Renaissance Man I know. . . . Bill Spratling was born to be a writer if he wasn't born to blend silver and ebony into unforgettable forms, [or] wasn't born to make archeological discoveries that now grace the National Museum in Mexico City. . . . Sometimes I wonder if he is not only My Most Unforgettable Character, but My Five Most Unforgettable Characters." In 1931, Spratling found two goldsmiths in Iguala, Guerrero to teach silversmithing to a small group of teenage boys around his kitchen table. From this early beginning, the Taller de Las Delicias (the name he gave the workshop) was a handwrought industry. Spratling emphasized technical skill and allowed autonomy to those who achieved the status of “maestro.” Maestros were given the responsibility to train craftsmen and oversee their production. Spratling's designs for jewelry and objects, based on pre-Columbian art, sold well to tourists. By 1940, he had 300 craftsmen (eventually there were as many as 500 craftsmen working for Spratling) working in the Taller de Las Delicias. Other industries followed at Las Delicias — tinware, handloomed wool rugs and blankets, and wood and leather furniture — all of which have continued to bring financial security to hundreds of Taxqueñians. The young men who learned silversmithing at Las Delicias went on to organize their own workshops, among them, Antonio Pineda, the Castillo brothers at Los Castillo, and Héctor Aguilar. These very successful enterprises employed hundreds of artisans who produced work that is highly prized for its technical quality and strength of design. Among the most important factors contributing to Spratling’s success were his ever-evolving design ideas and his marketing strategies. In the late 1930’s, he began selling on a wholesale as well as retail basis. In order to expand and make special items available, Spratling initiated a catalogue. In the catalogues from 1962 and 1967, he provided photographs of flatware, with prices by the piece. Each set was by special order only. Every single piece was hand-forged and finished. The designs he developed are unique and strong. There are perhaps eight flatware designs in all, including the Heavy Silver Disks, which is the name given this particular set in the catalogue. This design developed from the Amarres salad serving set from c. 1940-44. The Amarres fork and spoon have wire wraps at the neck and an incised line down the center of the handle, ending in a V-shaped opening, within which is soldered a small bead (the serving spoon in this set is made in the Amarres motif). The Heavy Silver Disks is an elaboration of that basic design. Spratling adds a larger bead at the base. The incised lines flange at the point where the handle meets the fork tines or the bowl of the spoon. The V-shaped opening on the knife handle occurs at the base of the blade. In the center of this V is an attached disc. Except for the cocktail fork and demitasse spoon, up to three discs are placed in the center of each handle, hence the name given the design. The serving spoon does not have a bead or discs. This same serving spoon appears in the catalogue as part of the Heavy Silver Disks set. Included in the set were the following: Knife: dinner and butter; Spoon: soup, coffee-tea, demitasse, and service; and Fork: dinner, salad, seafood, and mango. The maker’s marks and aguila with the number “30” indicate that the set was made after 1956. There are few of these sets as intact as this one, especially those that include the cocktail forks, demitasse spoons, and the specific matching serving spoon. There are several reasons for this scarcity. The set would have been costly, especially for Spratling himself, because of the amount of hand-work involved in the addition of the wire wrap, the soldered discs and beads, and the incised lines. It should be remembered that most of the flatware was produced in the last decade of Spratling’s life. The final reason the sets are very difficult to find is that, in the 1980’s, large quantities of silver flatware and hollowware were melted down. This reduced the already small number of these sets. This original set is desirable, as evidenced by the fact that this pattern was produced, with minor changes, in the 1980’s and 1990’s by Alberto Ulrich, the owner of the Spratling Ranch after Spratling’s death. Please email us at info@laurenstanley.com with any inquiries and with your name and postal address for upcoming exhibitions. Also, please click on the ME button above and learn more about us and American Silver. Visit Lauren Stanley at our new address 249 E.48th Street, New York, New York 10017 (212-888-6732) for the finest and largest collection of 19th & 20th Century American Silver -- but please call ahead, Stan may be out of the showroom plowing the north 40! If you do not have a feedback rating of 10 or over please contact us before bidding. SHIPPING INFORMATION: We ship EXCLUSIVELY U.P.S. and only to the U.S. unless we agree otherwise prior to close of the auction. Again, PLEASE NOTE, no shipments outside of United States. Shipping/Handling/Insurance charges within the United States are as follows: for items of value to $500 -- $15.00; $500.00 to $1,000.00 -- $25.00; $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 -- $40.00; above $5,000.00 please inquire. Add 8.65% sales tax for New York State residents. Payment must be made within ten (10) days unless otherwise agreed to. Payment may be made by personal check or thru PayPal. If paid thru paypal, we will only ship to confirmed, eligible Paypal addresses. Please ask about our new Layaway Plan before the close of the auction! And we are always looking to purchase 19th & 20th Century American Silver! Please visit our ebay ME page
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