Mat-Matilde Poulat & Ricardo Salas Jewelry
Matl is the mark that appears on some of the most beautiful and unique jewelry in Mexico.
Matilde Eugenia Poulat introduced MATL in 1934 and, since her death in 1960, her designs and techniques have been carried on by her nephew, Ricardo Salas. For sr. Salas, who can recite poetry in the language of the Aztecs, the mark matl, has greater meaning in its reference to the Nahuatl or Aztec word for water, atl.
As a young woman, Matilde Poulat studied painting at the prestigious San Carlos academy of fine arts in Mexico city, she went on to teach painting classes at an art school until her interest turned exclusively to silver. Matilde Poulat´s designs for jewelry and religious figures were part of the new cultural vision among Mexico’s intellectuals after the revolution in 1920s, artists were searching for Mexican aesthetic, rejection European subjects in favor of the art of the pre-conquest Indians and of the Mexican pueblos. Sra. Poulat found inspiration in the mextec gold jewelry discovered in 1932 at Monte Alban. Her choice of motifs the dove, flowers, and tiny bells are reminiscent of the whimsical subjects of contemporary Mexican folk art.
Matilde Poulat received international recognition for her jewelry when she was asked in 1941 to participate in an exhibit of Latin American silver at the pan American union in Washington, D.C. as a result of increasing demand for matl silver during world war ii , the number of silversmiths in the taller increased to thirty-three. In 1950, Srta. Poulat and her nephew opened a showroom on the first floor of her home, where she also had the workshop. Ricardo Salas recalls that they made three thousand types of silver jewelry and one hundred different religious pieces.
Ricardo Salas worked closely with his aunt from the time he was eleven years of age. He says she recognized his artistic talent when she saw him do a play with puppets he had made himself. Sr. Salas was sent to the San Carlos academy, where he received the premio Diego Rivera. As a youth, he learned the techniques of the silversmith and perfected the carving of ivory, coral, turquoise, and other stones used in the jewelry and figurines. From sr. Salas perspective, he and his aunt collaborated so closely as designers, that there really cannot be a comparison of their work.
There is no longer a shop in Mexico City, but matl Salas continues to be sold at two stores in the united states, in Santa Monica, California, and in Washington, D.C. Ricardo has trained his wife, daughter, and cousins, and the workshop today is made up almost entirely of family members. All aspects of production are done by hand under his supervision. Sr. Salas continues to draw new designs and jealously protects his own work. His inspiration comes from pre-Hispanic art, particularly the art of the Mayans, who he says were more intelligent than the Aztecs and used beautiful shapes and lines in their architecture and sculpture.
For sr. Salas, every detail in matl silver is rich in symbolism. The cascabeles (tiny round bells) signify fidelity, a matrimonial pact. If a man gives a woman cascabeles, the marriage will not break apart, even in death. That same fidelity is important in friendship. The exchange of tiny bells means that if a friend were to have a problem, the other friend would be obliged to help. A horizontal (s) is a symbol of happiness. The doves are remembrance of a romantic era in Mexico’s history, recalling the music of Agustin Lara, a singer and songwriter who enjoyed great popularity in the 1930s. Ricardo Salas believes that romanticism is still alive in the hearts of Mexicans today.
In 1955, William Spratling wrote of Matilde Poulat: “she has continued to produce some of the most charming native jewelry in Mexico, intensely her own. Her jewelry has the same charm and delightful surface and colorful quality of the old lacquer work of Uruapan. Spratling`s admiration for matl silver reflects his recognition of their shared appreciation for Mexican native art. This mutual inspiration led each of the two artists in different directions within the same medium. The exuberance of matl silver resembles the interiors of the churches in Puebla, like the chapel of Santa Maria Tonantzintla, where Indians covered the interior of the dome with polychromed and gilded angels. In matl silver, the introduction of color is accomplished with bits of coral, turquoise, and amethyst quartz. The surfaces are decorated with applied wire and elaborated with embossing and repousse of astounding complexity (pl.XXIII-1, XXIII-10). Matilde Poulat and Ricardo Salas have been successful in incorporating the artistic language of the Mixtecs into jewelry and silver figures with imagination, drama, and with a style that is completely personal.
Matilde Eugenia Poulat introduced MATL in 1934 and, since her death in 1960, her designs and techniques have been carried on by her nephew, Ricardo Salas. For sr. Salas, who can recite poetry in the language of the Aztecs, the mark matl, has greater meaning in its reference to the Nahuatl or Aztec word for water, atl.
As a young woman, Matilde Poulat studied painting at the prestigious San Carlos academy of fine arts in Mexico city, she went on to teach painting classes at an art school until her interest turned exclusively to silver. Matilde Poulat´s designs for jewelry and religious figures were part of the new cultural vision among Mexico’s intellectuals after the revolution in 1920s, artists were searching for Mexican aesthetic, rejection European subjects in favor of the art of the pre-conquest Indians and of the Mexican pueblos. Sra. Poulat found inspiration in the mextec gold jewelry discovered in 1932 at Monte Alban. Her choice of motifs the dove, flowers, and tiny bells are reminiscent of the whimsical subjects of contemporary Mexican folk art.
Matilde Poulat received international recognition for her jewelry when she was asked in 1941 to participate in an exhibit of Latin American silver at the pan American union in Washington, D.C. as a result of increasing demand for matl silver during world war ii , the number of silversmiths in the taller increased to thirty-three. In 1950, Srta. Poulat and her nephew opened a showroom on the first floor of her home, where she also had the workshop. Ricardo Salas recalls that they made three thousand types of silver jewelry and one hundred different religious pieces.
Ricardo Salas worked closely with his aunt from the time he was eleven years of age. He says she recognized his artistic talent when she saw him do a play with puppets he had made himself. Sr. Salas was sent to the San Carlos academy, where he received the premio Diego Rivera. As a youth, he learned the techniques of the silversmith and perfected the carving of ivory, coral, turquoise, and other stones used in the jewelry and figurines. From sr. Salas perspective, he and his aunt collaborated so closely as designers, that there really cannot be a comparison of their work.
There is no longer a shop in Mexico City, but matl Salas continues to be sold at two stores in the united states, in Santa Monica, California, and in Washington, D.C. Ricardo has trained his wife, daughter, and cousins, and the workshop today is made up almost entirely of family members. All aspects of production are done by hand under his supervision. Sr. Salas continues to draw new designs and jealously protects his own work. His inspiration comes from pre-Hispanic art, particularly the art of the Mayans, who he says were more intelligent than the Aztecs and used beautiful shapes and lines in their architecture and sculpture.
For sr. Salas, every detail in matl silver is rich in symbolism. The cascabeles (tiny round bells) signify fidelity, a matrimonial pact. If a man gives a woman cascabeles, the marriage will not break apart, even in death. That same fidelity is important in friendship. The exchange of tiny bells means that if a friend were to have a problem, the other friend would be obliged to help. A horizontal (s) is a symbol of happiness. The doves are remembrance of a romantic era in Mexico’s history, recalling the music of Agustin Lara, a singer and songwriter who enjoyed great popularity in the 1930s. Ricardo Salas believes that romanticism is still alive in the hearts of Mexicans today.
In 1955, William Spratling wrote of Matilde Poulat: “she has continued to produce some of the most charming native jewelry in Mexico, intensely her own. Her jewelry has the same charm and delightful surface and colorful quality of the old lacquer work of Uruapan. Spratling`s admiration for matl silver reflects his recognition of their shared appreciation for Mexican native art. This mutual inspiration led each of the two artists in different directions within the same medium. The exuberance of matl silver resembles the interiors of the churches in Puebla, like the chapel of Santa Maria Tonantzintla, where Indians covered the interior of the dome with polychromed and gilded angels. In matl silver, the introduction of color is accomplished with bits of coral, turquoise, and amethyst quartz. The surfaces are decorated with applied wire and elaborated with embossing and repousse of astounding complexity (pl.XXIII-1, XXIII-10). Matilde Poulat and Ricardo Salas have been successful in incorporating the artistic language of the Mixtecs into jewelry and silver figures with imagination, drama, and with a style that is completely personal.
