1980s Emilia Castillo Porcelain & Pure Silver Serving Platter, Mexican Modernism

Details

Description

An elegant handcrafted serving platter by celebrated Mexican designer and silversmith Emilia Castillo, created in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico. The piece … Read more An elegant handcrafted serving platter by celebrated Mexican designer and silversmith Emilia Castillo, created in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico. The piece combines warm ivory-toned porcelain with hand-applied pure silver, forming an expressive scrolling vine-and-leaf motif that travels freely across the surface and around the border.

The restrained palette and organic decoration give the platter a distinctly modern character while remaining deeply connected to the traditions of Mexican decorative arts. Its sculptural, gently raised form makes it equally compelling as functional tableware or as a decorative object displayed on a console, dining table, credenza, or plate stand.

Emilia Castillo is a second-generation Taxco designer and the daughter of renowned silversmith Antonio Castillo, founder of the celebrated Los Castillo workshop. She grew up immersed in her father's workshops and subsequently developed an independent design vocabulary distinguished by combinations of silver, porcelain, stone, and other natural materials. Her work frequently draws inspiration from the flora and fauna of Mexico.

The Castillo family's history is closely connected to the development of 20th-century Mexican silver design. Antonio Castillo trained in the circle of William Spratling before establishing Los Castillo in Taxco in 1939, helping create one of the most influential workshops associated with the Mexican silver renaissance. Emilia continued this tradition while establishing an identity distinctly her own, particularly through her technically demanding combination of porcelain and silver.
Her career has achieved international recognition: her work has been offered through Neiman Marcus since 1992, and she has undertaken important commissions, including work for the Chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

This platter is particularly appealing for collectors of Mexican modernism, Taxco silver and Latin American decorative arts, as well as interior designers seeking an object that bridges collectible design and functional tableware. The monochromatic ivory and silver composition works beautifully within contemporary, modernist, Spanish Colonial, and eclectic interiors.

The underside is hand signed and marked:

Emilia Castillo
Plata Pura
Mexico
12
M.R. (Marca Registrada)

The designation Plata Pura identifies the silver used in the decorative application as pure silver.

Dimensions: 12.50 in. W × 6.75 in. D × 1.75 in. H

Condition: Good vintage condition with minimal wear consistent with age and gentle use. Minor irregularities are inherent to the handcrafted nature of the porcelain and applied silver decoration.

A refined and highly decorative example of Emilia Castillo's work, carrying forward one of the most important family legacies in modern Mexican silver and decorative arts. See less