Cufflinks by Margot de Taxco Feature Enameled Serpent Heads

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Cufflinks by Margot de Taxco Feature Enameled Serpent Heads

About the Item

You will *own* the meeting with therse boys on your wrists. These are the famous and elusive Pre-Columbian serpent cufflinks by the iconic designer Margot Van Voorhies, who signed her work Margo de Taxco. They essentially kick the butt of all other cufflinks. The Mexican Modernist Movement may have been started by a man (William Spratling) but it was a woman who did the mic drop. That woman was American-born Margot Van Voorhies Carr who moved to Taxco, Mexico in the late 1930s and became one of the most successful and productive silver artists in history. While modernist masters like Spratling and Pineda were creating forms that, even today, seem cutting-edge, Margot de Taxco, as she signed her work, did a one-eighty. Instead of pushing the boundaries of geometry, Margot created work that defied boundaries and categorization. She ultimately became most well-known for her enameled silverwork. But that is like saying, Toni Morrison was just a writer. These mind-bendingly intricate and flawlessly crafted enameled cufflinks featuring serpent heads are impossible to categorize: are they Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts? A little of each? Byzantine? Maybe a bit. Belle Époque? Oh yes, but no. Egyptian revival? Check out the ziggurat architecture on the profile of the cufflink closure. Modernist? Define modernist. Brilliant? Most definitely. They are the abbreviated version of the Serpent 5554 necklace pictured on pp 138 of Margot Van Voorhies The Art of Mexican Enamelwork by Penny C. Morrill. A "collar" of turquoise-colored enamel appears to encircle the neck of each snake; but on the reverse, we see all color has been deleted: only the silversmith's finest hand-detailing remains. The top of each snakehead is layered with a multitude of colored "scales" in a palate of greens, blues and yellows with a touch here and there or orange. The effect is almost that of a tapestry. The eyes of each snake are crafted from navette-shaped black glass, bezel set within the silver. There is a minuscule chip to one of the snake eyes that is not apparent unless one scrutinizes the cufflink. If such a defect is psychologically bothersome, it is easily-enough repaired by a jeweler or with high-gloss enamel paint. Wear to the enameling is minimal. Both cufflinks are properly hallmarked bearing the design number, 5554, exactly like the serpent necklace in the anthology of the artist's work. This pair of rare and exotic cufflinks are brilliantly and subtly eccentric. Powerful in line and form, complex in texture and color, pleasing to the eye and the finger. They are bold cufflinks, not for the wallflower; for the ceiling-shatterer.

Creator:
Margo de Taxco
Metal:
Silver
Weight:
21 g
Dimensions:
Width: 0.8 in (20.25 mm)Length: 1.39 in (35.14 mm)
Style:
Artisan
Place of Origin:
Mexico
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1960
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Small chip to one glass eye: insignificant and invisible in daily wear. Minimal loss of enameling. No chips, dents or cracks. No signs of prior repair.
Seller Location:
Southbury, CT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU158917251562