Vintage Mexican Folk Art Dance Mask Carved Wood Cortez Barbon Conquistador 18"

Description

This beautiful, vintage, carved wood, Mexican folk art piece is an authentic, conquistador (barbon) dance mask, complete with eye and mouth holes.
A classic, colonial-style piece for your art collection.  It has lovely detail in the eyes, carved hair and beard.  It is old and so has been waxed to protect its hand-painted artwork.  It measures 18 x 7 x 4".
Way down in the southern mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, up high mountain roads, are the indigenous group (Nahua) that produce these beautiful carved wood art figures and wall masks.  They are generally carved by men using the Tzampamitla tree and then whimsically detailed by the women in rich jewel tones (using translucent aniline dyes or paints) with eyes that seem to come alive. These remote villages and pueblitos include Maravatio, Tlamacazapa, Ahueuepan, San Francisco Ozomatlan, and San Critobal.   Hard to obtain and highly collectible.