The Argentine silverware es much more than a trade; es A way to narrate and describe the cultural history of the country through objects that accompanied the daily life of the gaucho, the indigenous and the countryside. That identity forged in silver is the one that celebrates the Exhibition “Silaría Argentina, a passion. A century of collecting”, Opened last April 23 in the José Hernández Popular Museum, Located on Avenida del Libertador 2373, in the city of Buenos Aires. The sample will be extended until July 27.
According to the organizers, for the first time they meet pieces belonging to two collections of different times: that of Carlos Daws, Collecting pioneer Creole silverware At the beginning of the 20th century, and that of the current collector Oscar Collazo. Between them, they indicated, it unfolds A tour with more than 160 objects that account for the evolution of plateria art from the colonial era to the present.
As described, Daws (1870-1947), son of an Englishman and employee of the western railroad, It was a central figure in the preservation of the gaucho tradition. In his home in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Balvanera he founded the Gaucho Family Museum, where silverware, ponchos, soguería, photographs and engravings. When he died, his widow donated the collection to the city and became part of the collection of the current Popular Art Museum.
“The Daws collection includes mates, bulbs, knives, stirrups and traces, pieces deeply linked to the life of the gaucho. It is very striking to think that at the beginning of the 20th century this collector decided to transform his house into a museum to share this passion with society, ”he explained Roberto Vega Andersen, Exhibition curator, in dialogue with The nation.
“The trade of silverware is part of our identity. Even Argentina’s name comes from Latin silversilver. It was not just the rastor who held objects with silver; Also the gaucho, a symbol of the rural world, always incorporated pieces of silver into his outfit: from spurs to buttons of a corralra or in a knife: the saving of his life embodied in these pieces, ”he reflected.
The exhibition also presents a living collection: that of Collazo, Current collector, who has gathered pieces of different origins over decades. His collection includes objects of historical collectors such as Alfredo Anchorena and Nicolás García Uriburu, and has been exhibited both in Argentina and in countries of Europe and America.
Vega Andersen highlighted the importance of this dialogue between two looks separated by time: “Both built their collections with the idea of showing them publicly so that society could enjoy and learn features of Argentine culture through these pieces. ”
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the presence of “Pampas Pampa”, that is indigenous, especially Mapuche, both feminine and masculine. “There are women’s jewels and stirrups, brakes, spurs, even iron spears with silver details of the riders. This is an essential chapter of the collection collection,” The curator explained.
A showcase which shows the evolution of mate, From the pumpkins partially decorated with 18th -century silver to the mates entirely made in that metal. “It is a trip that goes from the viceroyalty to the nineteenth century and allows us to see how design is transformed over time,” Vega Andersen said.
Other “Treasury of the sample” They are the original mold Considered one of the most important in the country that worked between 1840 and 1870. It is impressive to see the instruments of the workshop more than 150 years ago together with the finished objects it produced ”, The curator added.
He commented that all the pieces carry the silver punch, A authorship brand that was not always used. “In this case, both molds and finished objects are signed, which gives them even greater historical value ”, highlighted.
In addition to the old pieces, the sample includes an active participation of the Association of Argentine Placeros, which will provide open workshops to the public and guided visits along with the curators to enrich the visitor’s experience.
Finally, he indicated that the exhibition is “An opportunity to discover or rediscover Argentine history through brightness, texture and passion of silverware.”
