Frank Patania, Sr., Floral Spray Bracelet, ca. 1950, burnham turquoise and fabricated sterling silver, 4 x 3 x 2 1⁄2 in. (10.2 x 7.6 x 6.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Patania Family, 2000.100.1
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Floral Spray Bracelet
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1950
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 4 x 3 x 2 1⁄2 in. (10.2 x 7.6 x 6.4 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Patania Family
- Mediums Description
- burnham turquoise and fabricated sterling silver
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Object — flower
- Object Number
- 2000.100.1
Artwork Description
Floral Spray Bracelet exemplifies the “Patania Thunderbird” style, which is a synthesis of European and Native American traditions. In materials and geometry, the bracelet shows the influence of Pueblo and Navajo jewelry, as well as the larger scale that Patania adopted after his encounter with southwestern craftsmen. According to his son, metalsmith Frank Patania Jr., the native techniques “got his thinking away from the very fine, precise platinum works Back East into something bolder and more powerful.”