Chalice – William Spratling – Sterling Silver, Modernist

Gracefully modeled wine goblet made in Taxco, Mexico by Spratling Y Artesanos (William Spratling), 3 ¼ inches high x 3 inches in diameter, circa 1956-1962. The plain bowl sits atop a stem comprised of a series of six spiral wires, each wire separated by a silver ball (6 total) and the whole rests on a round pad single stepped base. This design was included in the 1965 traveling U.S. museum exhibit, “The World of William Spratling”.Spratling’s first use of this theme of diagonal silver wires appears in a letter opener he designed for the Alaskan project in 1949.The bottom of the base is impressed with Spratling’s circular primary hallmark which was known as “WS Script Circle S” (because of the enlarged “S”). It consists of the words “WILLIAM SPRATLING•TAXCO•MEXICO” arranged in a circle and encompasses “.925” above his stylised script conjoined initials “WS”. When the die maker produced this stamp for Spratling, he enlarged the “S” in Spratling so that it descended below the line encircling Spratling’s script initials. This mark became the logo Spratling used for the rest of his life. Below this hallmark is an Eagle 30 tertiary mark.

The total weight of the vessel is 124.3 gm. ÷ 31.104 = 3.996 troy ounces.

CONDITION: In very good vintage condition. There is a tiny indent (barely noticeable in the edge opening), another on the foot edge and a very small shallow dent in the body (again both barely noticeable). The vessel is slightly tilted to one side which was common in these vessels as they were handmade and this was a difficult design. The example exhibited in the 1965 traveling U.S. museum exhibit, “The World of William Spratling” is also tilted to one side