Mexican Sanborns Sterling Silver Vase - 41.59 ozt. Two curly handles attaching the bulbous main body to the wide mouth top, all above a narrow foot. Monogrammed "BTR" on the side. Marked on underside. 

Size: 12 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. 

Weight: 41.59 ozt. 

Sanborns (also known as Sanborn Hermosas) was founded in Mexico City in 1903 by two American brothers, Walter and Frank Sanborn, as a pharmacy. Within a decade they had evolved into one of Mexico’s most iconic department stores, and by the 1920s they had begun producing their own crafts, clothing, and sterling silver goods, influenced by the region’s growing artisan movements and the rise of Mexican silver in international markets. Unlike mass-market silver lines, Sanborns focused on small-batch, handwrought pieces, producing delicate hammered sculptures often marked with owl motifs, focusing on both Colonial Revival and Mid-Century Modern styles in the 50s through the 60s. They eventually became one of the key names in Mexican silver alongside Spratling, Maciel, and Margot de Taxco, but after their acquisition by Walgreens in the late 1940s the company began to focus more and more on pharmaceuticals, although some silver pieces are still produced despite the company (now under the Grupo Sanborn empire) having shifted almost entirely to e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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