M Velazquez Mexican silver and turquoise fish Brooch

A contemporary of Matilde Poulat's, maestro M. Velazquez also worked in Mexico City and created jewelry primarily in the repousse style associated with the capital and Matl, its most famous practitioner. Velazquez was a true master of his art - his jewelry is bold and his repoussage confident, sculptural and nicely finished. The inspiration for the fish brooch at hand was obviously an ancient Maya or Aztec glyph or carving. The hand-hammered body is here deeply etched for detail and subsequently oxidized to enhance the sense of dimension. And if you let your imagination work, the little turquoise cab tucked under its belly will bring you images of crystal bluel seas and schools of fish with tiny little air bubbles surrounding them...

Size / Weight: 2 3/8" long by 1 1/2" tall; 20.9 grams

Hallmarks / Date: signed with maker's name as shown as well as "MADE IN MEXICO" and "STERLING"; pre-1948

Condition: excellent vintage with gorgeous patina, sculptural repoussage, rich hand-etched detail and a beautiful splash of color provided by the stone; no damage and no repairs noted except for the safely roll-over that is missing from the pin fastener; the fastener still works as it should, however, and will keep the brooch safely in place

Inv# 15779