Duckbill Bottle Opener with Obsidian Eyes

A bottle opener cast in the shape of a duckbill, the eyes set with obsidian. Spratling's barware regularly took animal and figural form, turning a utilitarian tool into a small sculpture, and the obsidian eyes are the characteristic touch, the glassy native stone catching light against the silver.

The piece belongs to the third design period, when Spratling's hollowware and table objects had settled into a confident house style. Barware, ashtrays, and serving pieces were a substantial part of the workshop's output alongside the jewelry.

Obsidian was one of the Mexican materials Spratling drew on from the beginning, and its use here in a functional object is typical of the way he carried native stone across his whole range. Figural barware of this kind survives in modest numbers and is collected as much for its wit as for its craft.