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Ken Beldin Figural Pendant, Midcentury, Made in Mexico, Copper

Name: Ken Beldin Figural Pendant, Midcentury, Made in Mexico, Copper
Brand: Ken Beldin
Price: 550 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Modern design vintage necklace made in Mexico by ex-pat artist Ken Beldin 1940s and 1950s. Etched signature on the back: Ken Beldin. In excellent vintage condition. Pendant measures: 3 1/2" H x 2" W. The pendant hangs from the original leather string which measures approximately 14" total length. This vintage pendant is made of copper and bears a lovely green patina. It depicts an ethnic male figure and bears what may be a pre-Columbian bead at the top. Ken Beldin (1900-?) was born in Mississippi and was educated at U. of C. Berkeley. He retired as head of a successful ad agency in Los Angeles in 1931 to travel through the Southwest. He worked for a time with Mexico’s National Railways attracting tourists to travel to Mexico by rail and was drawn into the rugged beauty of Mexico and its people. He set up a studio in Tenencingo South of Mexico City near Taxco and began creating one of a kind jewelry and sculpture. He was the custodian of a collection of archeological Pre-Columbian stones, and it was from these he derived his motifs. His "modern ethnic" jewelry was considered to have the most feeling and the most authentic look of the Period. He worked throughout the 1940s and 1950s with copper, brass, steel, wood, and leather. His work was admired and collected by some of the elite of Hollywood including Barbara Hutton, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagny, and Sammy Davis, Jr. His friends in Mexico who also purchased his work were: Diego Riviera, Freda Kahlo, J.C. Orosco, and Miguel Covarrubias. His pieces were available in gift shops in Mexico City, Tlaquepaque, Morelia, and Taxco. Ken was also very interested in the nutritional needs of Mexico’s poor and with the help of a nutritionist in California developed a soy bean-based food for children. He created comic books to teach the children about nutrition and gave some of the proceeds from his art sales to this cause. Dale Nichols, the well-known American artist appreciated his work and created a pamphlet about him in 1952 lauding his creations. These unique collectible pieces are being rediscovered now as the treasures they are.

Creator:

Ken Beldin (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Width: 2 in (5.08 cm)Depth: 0.07 in (1.78 mm)

Materials and Techniques:

Copper

Place of Origin:

Mexico

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1940s-1950s