$153
Silver, Enamel, and Wood "Contempra House" Muddler, designed by Earl Pardon, made by Towle Silversmiths, unsigned, together with a silver toothpick holder with the monogram MCW for Margret Craver Withers. Note: From the Estate of Margret Craver Withers (1907-2010). Margret Craver had numerous accomplishments as a modernist jeweler and metalsmith. She was largely self taught. Craver was born in Pratt, Kansas, and introduced to metalsmithing as a design major at the University of Kansas in the late 1920s. In 1938 she traveled to Sweden to study with Baron Erik Fleming, silversmith to the King. Under his tutelage, Craver refined her craft and sharpened her skills. Silver was her medium of choice, but she also worked in enamel and gemstones. During the war Craver taught metalwork to veterans as a means of therapy at Walter Reed Army Hospital. From there, she was appointed Director, Craft Service Department, at Handy and Harman. Craver cut her own gemstones (lot 460) and rediscovered the lost technique of en resille enameling. Her numerous awards include two from the Philadelphia Art Alliance: First Award in 1938, and Certificate of Merit in 1940 for a bonbonière now at the Art Institute of Chicago; Medal of Honor, Wichita Art Association, 1949 (lot 437); "Woman of the Month" by the American Women's Association, 1949; Honorary Member of the Master Gold and Silversmiths Guild of Sweden, 1950; Gold Medal for Excellence, American Craft Council, 1986; and in 1989, a year after
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-06-14
