This group of Mexican silver jewelry features two early examples by key artists: a necklace by Frederick W. Davis, about 1930, and a bracelet by Matilde Poulat (MATL), about 1935. Davis was a prominent American art dealer and designer in Mexico City who was instrumental in reviving the silver industry in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. Davis was also an early proponent of Mexican modernist painters, such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as both employer and mentor of René d’Harnoncourt when the later lived in Mexico. MATL opened her own studio in 1934 and was influenced by designs retailed by Davis, including the rounded sculptural forms and the use of carved obsidian maskettes as seen in both pieces, which relate to ancient Mesoamerican art. The wire filigree design at the top of the mask on the bracelet is likely drawn from a group of ancient goldwork objects discovered at Monte Alban by Mexican archaeologist Alfonso Caso in 1932. This pairing of objects demonstrates the strong influence of ancient Mesoamerican art in what would become iconic designs of 20th-century Mexican silver. These works are the first examples of jewelry by Frederick Davis and Matilde Poulat to enter the MFA’s collection. They add to the Museum’s growing representation of Mexican modernist artworks, particularly Taxco silver.

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