Round Tin Hanging Mirror

A round hanging mirror in tin, its border worked with wire loops and cut-out designs, this object reads as art deco in feeling and belongs to the tinwork tradition that ran through Spratling's workshop alongside the silver. Las Delicias employed the tinsmith Don Isidro Jejia, who directed assistants in producing exactly this kind of object, candlesticks and picture and mirror frames in tin, to Spratling's simple designs (Morrill, p. 36).

The same mirror was also made in a larger size in copper, a sign the design was a workshop staple rather than a one-off. It is recorded in Goddard's Spratling Silver: A Field Guide.

As a tin object, its value rests on workshop origin, the crispness of the cut-out and wirework, and condition rather than on precious metal. The deco-inflected design and documented form are what give it interest.