Fred Davis (1880-1961) Taxco Modernist sterling cufflinks

Fred Davis (1880-1961) Taxco Modernist sterling cufflinks 30mm x 11mm x 20.9 grams.

Frederick W. Davis is known among collectors for his work as a jewelry designer and silversmith based in Mexico City, Mexico. He began designing and crafting jewelry and decorative objects in the 1920s. The wares he produced often reflected his affinity for pre-Columbian artifacts. He occasionally collaborated with Valentín Vidaurreta, another respected Mexican silver craftsman with roots in Mexico City. Davis is credited as an avid promoter of other silver artists, including William Spratling, who worked in Mexico from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Frederick Davis Jewelry – History
Davis moved from the United States to Mexico in 1910. Working as an assistant manager for the Sonora News Company, he toured the country on buying trips to stock railway station shops with native folk art for his employer. He established relationships with many artisans during his travels, and his knowledge of Mexican crafts grew extensively. His ardent work resulted in a promotion to manager of Sonora’s arts and crafts showroom in Mexico City.

René d’Harnoncourt, who later served as the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was employed by Davis in 1927 as an assistant. Their work together led to the company’s distribution and exhibition of works by Mexican painters who are now well known, such as Diego Rivera, among many others. During this era, Davis and d’Harnoncourt left an indelible footprint on the trade of Mexican handcrafts, including silver jewelry, from that point on.

Davis took a position managing antiques and fine crafts for Sanborn’s department store in 1933 after d’Harnoncourt moved to the United States. He remained with the store for 20 years, where he continued to promote Mexican art and artisans while designing and producing silver wares. Davis died in 1961.