Medallion Bracelet with Amethyst and Coral

Setting amethyst against coral, this bracelet shows the MATL workshop's characteristic taste for richly colored stones worked into silver. The combination is typical of the folk-inflected Mexican aesthetic Matilde Poulat pursued after she introduced the MATL mark in 1934 (Morrill, p. 216).

Poulat trained as a painter at the San Carlos Academy before turning to silver, and her designs joined the post-Revolution search for a distinctly Mexican art (Morrill, p. 216). She drew on the Mixtec gold jewelry uncovered in 1932 at Monte Alban, and her vocabulary of doves, flowers, and tiny bells echoes Mexican folk art (Morrill, p. 216).

The carving of coral and other stones was a workshop specialty; Ricardo Salas, who worked closely with his aunt, perfected the carving of coral, turquoise, and the other materials used in the jewelry (Morrill, p. 216).

MATL bracelets combining amethyst and coral are seen at market only occasionally, and they show the saturated color contrasts the workshop was known for.