A medium size Los Castillo Taxco handmade 'metales casados' (married metals) abstract modernist tray - no doubt designed by Chato Castillo circa 1950s - measures 14" by 9.75".
#loscastillotaxco #handmade #metalescasados #marriedmetals #tray #chatocastillodesigner #mexicanmodernism #midcenturymexico
Wolmar Castillo
the son of Antonio Castillo of Los Castillo
metales casados (married metals)
coffee pot, creamer, sugar
circa 2000
#wolmarcastillo
#antoniocastillo #loscastillotaxco #mexicandesign #disenomexicano #handmade #hechoenmexico #oneofakind #coffeeset #metalescasados #marriedmetals
First created by Chato Castillo in 1943, this design is a perennial favorite of fans of Mexican modernist design and of Los Castillo. I've seen examples of it in many different sizes and with many different color stones for 'eyes', and from every decade from the 1940s to the 1990s!
A classic Chato Castillo design for Los Castillo in Taxco in married metals with black onyx 'eye' - original design from 1943!
#chatocastillodesign #loscastillotaxco #taxco #metalescasados #marriedmetals #bird #tray #mexicanmodernism #metalsmith #midcenturymexico #mexicansilver #taxcosilver #plata
Chato Castillo was one of the four founding brothers of Los Castillo in Taxco, Mexico, in 1939. He was a silversmith, a designer, and a technical innovator who invented many unique metalworking techniques including: 'metales casados' (married metals), 'mosaico azteca' (mosaic stone inlay), the 'pluma azteca' (feather inlay), among others! His techniques were widely copied by other silversmiths and designers throughout Mexico, and became emblematic of the Mexican mid-century modernist style! Although many other designers in Mexico used pre-Columbian artifacts in their creations, Chato found new and unique ways of doing so, and this bracelet is an excellent example! Composed of metales casados (copper and brass) over sterling silver, and centering a pre-Columbian green stone ear spool at center top from which drops a triangular metals casados plaque with size copper and bronze drops. This particular design was made in many variations over the years by Chato, and his brother Antonio after Chato's death, but each was unique - no two were exactly the same!
A Los Castillo Taxco married metals and pre Columbian green stone ear-spool bracelet with dangles - designed by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo circa 1960.
#handmade #metalescastillo #metalescasados #marriedmetals #precolumbian #mexicansilver #mexicanjewelry #loscastillotaxco #chatocastillodesign
It's hard to tell from the photos, but these earrings are in five (5) shades of metal! Silver, two shades of copper, and two shades of brass! I've seen up to seven shades of metal used by Los Castillo in one object, but that is very rare. Five shades is their usual maximum, and more often you will see only three colors of metal, copper, silver, and brass.
backside of geometric metales casados (married metals) five shades of metal geometric modernist earrings by Los Castillo of Taxco, Mexico
Big vintage 1950s Los Castillo Taxco handmade 'metales casados' (married metals) geometric Mexican modernist earrings - measure 2-3/8" tall! NFS
#loscastillotaxco #handmade #metalescasados #marriedmetals #mexicansilver #wearableart #art #earrings #jewelrydesign #modernism #taxco #geometric #design
Designed by Stella Popowski for Los Castillo in Taxco. This box has a sterling silver lid frame with metales casados (sterling and brass) that also includes black onyx and turquoise inlay in an abstract geometric design. The design reminds me of shapes viewed through a fun house mirror, everything seems a little off kilter! Measures a bit over 4” long by about 3” wide by just under 2” tall. The sterling lid fits loosely over the handmade Mexican redwood box base. These boxes by Popowski are really little artworks to place on a table or shelf, although they can be used for practical purposes too. Popowski was a Jewish emigré from Poland just before the Second World War whose family moved to Cuba first, then a few years later to Mexico. Popowski designed for Antonio Pineda and Los Castillo before opening her own workshop in the late 1950s in Taxco. She left Mexico in the early to mid 1960s for Southern California where she lived in the LA area before ending up in the suburbs of San Diego. She created unique artworks using a variety of techniques including oils and watercolors, and designed decorative objects like menus and greeting cards. Her unique artworks were shown in a great many galleries and art fairs in Southern California in her final years alongside many of the perhaps better recognized artists from the area. NFS.
A Los Castillo Stella Popowski design handmade onix negro box with matching belt buckle in metales casados, onix negro and turquoise - this is the most typical color combination found in Popowski designs for Los Castillo, and since most pieces found these days are in this combination, I am guessing that it was the most popular at the time of their creation - I also have the matching cufflinks in my collection, and I’m always looking for more examples/forms for this and other Popowski designs for Los Castillo! NFS
A Stella Popowski design for Los Castillo Taxco circa 1955 which was made into cufflinks, belt buckles, and this box.
#marriedmetals #metalescasados #onixnegro #blackonyx #turquoise #inlay #handmade #box #cufflinks #beltbuckle #midcenturymexico #mexicanmodernism #loscastillotaxco #stellapopowski
An incredible vintage 1960s Los Castillo handmade metales casados and pre-Columbian green stone Mexican modernist bracelet designed by Chato Castillo in the 1960s - Chato and his brother Antonio Castillo made a number of variations of this design in bracelets, necklaces, and rings over the years and I believe that all of them are unique and one of a kind as I’ve never seen two that were exactly the same - this example made in sterling silver, copper and brass, and centers a pre-Columbian green stone ear plug (1500-2000 years old!) likely of Mayan origin on top of which is a metales casados triangular section with dangles in copper and brass. NFS
A 1960s Chato Castillo design for Los Castillo of Taxco, Mexico - a bracelet in metales casados with a 2000 year old Mayan green stone ear plug. NFS
#chatocastillodesign #loscastillotaxco #handmade #metalescasados #marriedmetals #ancient #mayan #greenstone #earplug #precolumbian #hechoenmexico
A large vintage 1950s Los Castillo Taxco ‘metales casados’ Mexican modernist geometric design tray - the tray has been given a hammered treatment at top, and the metales casados is in three metals, copper and silver, and a third metal that has been given a dark patina - I’m not sure exactly what the third metal is, but the patina has worn in a few small spots and it looks like possibly a brass or bronze alloy, but I can’t say for sure. This round tray measures 11.5” diameter, and weighs almost 30 ounces. Marked at back as shown, design number “162”, “Los Castillo Taxco” in a circle, and “Metales Castillo”. The tray was also given a clear lacquer coating that is still evident at back but mostly worn away on top. Note on the ‘Metales Castillo” mark: on their earliest married metal pieces, Los Castillo marked them ‘metales casados’. However, they were unable to copyright or patent protect the term, and it was being used widely by copycats knocking off their designs, so they coined the mark, “Metales Castillo” which they were able to copyright and this became one of the marks found on their married metals pieces in the 1950s and 60s. Sometimes, pieces by Los Castillo only have the ‘Metales Castillo’ mark without the other marks, but since this mark was only used by Los Castillo, it’s a pretty sure indication that the item is genuine.
marks at back of the Los Castillo 'metales casados" tray
A large 1950s 'Metales Castillo' tray designed by Chato Castillo for Los Castillo in Taxco.
#chatocastillo #metalescasados #metalescastillo #marriedmetals #loscastillotaxco #taxco #handmade #metalart #art #vintage1950s #mexicanmodernism #metalworking #mexicandesign #design #artinmetal #mixedmetals
Yeah! We could all use a little kaleidoscope zen at the moment.
#Handmade #etched #brass #kaleidoscopes #marriedmetals
