Fertility Bracelet

The acquisition of this bracelet by the Art Institute of Chicago (2024.430) reflects continuing institutional interest in Héctor Aguilar's silver well into the present. Titled Fertility and dated to roughly 1948 to 1955, it comes from the mature phase of Aguilar's work, after his Taxco workshop had settled into the confident, heavy-gauge style he is known for.

The bracelet is worked entirely in sterling silver. Aguilar's signature lay in form and weight rather than added stones, and a silver-only piece like this one foregrounds the construction and surface that were the core of his craft at the Taller Borda.

Now in a public collection, the bracelet is preserved as part of the documented record of mid-century Taxco silver, the kind of example that anchors how the maker's work is studied rather than passing quietly through private hands.

Verified against each institution's own collection records. All museum collections