Bell with Applied Discs on Bell

Applied discs ring the body of this silver bell, its stem formed from twisted wires and topped with a ball. The combination of applied discs and wirework is the structural ornament Spratling favored, decoration built from repeated handwrought elements rather than engraved into the surface.

The bell belongs to the second design period, 1949-1951, when his vocabulary had moved toward line, rhythm, and the play of simple parts. Bells were a recurring form in the workshop, ranging from small table pieces to the documented butterfly designs.

The design is recorded in Phyllis M. Goddard's Spratling Silver: A Field Guide. Period silver bells survive in limited numbers.