$7,110
Mildred G. Watkins (1883-1968) Hollowware Box Sterling silver and enamel Cleveland, Ohio, c. 1920 Rectangular form, the lid decorated with leaves and berries centered by an enamel oval in blues and greens, impressed stylized mark on base, Sterling, and Mildred Watkins in block print, ht. 1 1/2, wd. 4, dp. 2 1/2 in. Note: Mildred G. Watkins was one of the first of a generation of Ohio-based artists who, in turning their attention to the medium, elevated enameling to unprecedented levels of beauty and inventiveness. She started as a painter who sort of "fell into" enameling. She studied portraiture at the Cleveland School of Art, but was not fond of laboring over her paintings, saying that "anything she did after the second day only served to spoil her drawing." Finishing her work quickly afforded her the extra time "lurk" in the design department and she soon decided that design was her real calling and that working with metals would be her career choice. Literature: Painting with Fire, Masters of Enameling in America 1930-1980 .
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2010-03-27