Wood Bowl Given to Odila Clavijo

This wood bowl carries a charged provenance: it was given to Odila Clavijo, named Queen of Silver, as part of her award, its mesquite body ringed on the exterior with applied silver circles. Object and occasion are inseparable, the silver beading marking an everyday turned bowl as a presentation piece.

The combination of native wood with silver detailing belongs to Spratling's third design period, the years after his return to Taxco-el-Viejo when he again contracted to supply designs (Morrill, p. 257). It reflects the workshop's long practice of pairing silver with warm natural materials.

The bowl is recorded in Goddard's field guide. As an awarded, named object rather than a catalog production run, it is effectively singular.