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Pre-Columbian designs worked across its face make this silver tie clasp a small carrier of the imagery that defined Spratling's jewelry. He built his vocabulary by taking ancient sources as a "point of departure," turning pre-Columbian seals and motifs into modern silver (Morrill, pdf p. 39); a tie clasp puts that practice into menswear.
The clasp belongs to the first design period, 1931-1946, when Spratling drew most directly on Mexico's archaeological past for his designs.
It is recorded in Phyllis M. Goddard's Spratling Silver: A Field Guide. Men's accessories carrying Pre-Columbian motifs survive in modest numbers.
Museum of Mexican Silver. “Tie Clasp with Pre-Columbian Designs.” Catalog no. MoMS-000187. https://museumofmexicansilver.com/pieces/spratling-2803
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Early Silver Tie Clasp
First Design Period: 1931 - 1946
Silver
