Birmingham Museum of Art
Collection overview
The Birmingham Museum of Art acquired a William Spratling tea service in .925 silver and rosewood (1962-1964) in 1965, within a year or two of its making, through the Antiques and Allied Arts Association and William M. Spencer, Jr. Rosalie Pettus Price (Mrs. William Archer Price) added Spratling jewelry from the 1930s and 1940s and a rosewood and silver box in 1997, and in 2023 a seven-piece Héctor Aguilar coffee and tea service (1949-1952) entered the collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the museum. A 1980 gift from Sarah d'Harnoncourt brought Spratling drawings, lithographs, books and a 1934 photograph; the museum also holds René d'Harnoncourt's portrait of Spratling.
Artists and workshops represented
Individually documented works
Coffee and Tea Service
designed by Héctor Aguilar · produced by Plateria Azteca · produced by Taller Borda
1949-1952 · sterling silver and wood · coffee pot 9 3/4 x 7 x 5 3/4 in. (largest component)
Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Gift of Carol, Kenneth and Karen Taylor
Box
About 1933-1938 · rosewood and silver · 1 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 3/4 in. (3.8 x 11.4 x 9.5 cm)
Gift of Mrs. William Archer Price
Bracelet
1931-1945 · silver · 2 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/4 in. (5.4 x 6.4 x 5.7 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Archer Price
Bracelet
1931 - 1945 · silver · 2 1/8 x 2 5/8 x 2 3/8 in. (5.4 x 6.7 x 6 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Archer Price
Pendant
1931-1945 · silver and leather · 2 5/8 x 2 3/8 in. (6.7 x 6 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Archer Price
Tea Service
1962-1964 · silver and rosewood · teapot 6 1/2 x 10 1/2 in.; creamer 3 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.; sugar 3 1/4 x 6 in.; tray 15 1/2 x 18 1/2 in.
Gift of Antiques and Allied Arts Association and William M. Spencer, Jr.
Works in other media
Paintings, prints, drawings, and archival collections by the makers documented in this directory. These are labeled by medium and are not counted in the silver-object totals.
Ajutchitlan
About 1932 · lithograph; paper · 16 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Dona Petra
lithograph · 16 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Fine Mexican Silver by Spratling
1938 · paper · 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. (21 x 13.3 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Guerrero: Presence of the Past
1962 · paper · 8 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. (21 x 14 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Jai Alvares (Portrait of Man in Uniform)
1927 · pencil on paper · 10 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. (26.7 x 24.4 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Landscape
About 1932 · lithograph · 16 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Nude Boy with Chin on Palm
About 1932 · lithograph · 16 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Portrait of Maximo Pacheco
1927 · pencil on paper · sheet: 12 3/16 x 9 9/16 in. (31 x 24.3 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Rene with the Inevitable Pencil
About 1940 · charcoal and watercolor on paper
Gift of the Estate of Joseph J. Rishel
Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles
1926 · paper · 8 3/8 x 6 1/8 in. (21.3 x 15.6 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
The Palacio Nacional and the Cathedral of Mexico Across the Plaza Mayor
1928 · pencil on paper · 6 1/8 x 14 in. (15.6 x 35.6 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Tierra Caliente
About 1932 · lithograph · 16 x 11 1/2 in. (40.6 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Un Homenje A William Spratling
1965 · paper · 7 7/8 x 5 3/8 in. (20 x 13.7 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
William Spratling selling jewelry to American tourists
1934 · black and white photograph · 4 7/8 x 4 1/2 in. (12.4 x 11.4 cm)
Gift of Sarah d'Harnoncourt
Holdings are compiled from the institution's own published collection records, museum labels, and documented first-person study, and verified before listing. Only individually identified silver objects count toward the documented-works total; institution-reported collection totals are listed separately, and related works in other media (paintings, prints, drawings, archives) are labeled by medium and never counted. Images appear only where the institution's license permits or from our own in-gallery photography, credited, and are removed on request. See an error? Submit a correction.