Lot 293

Mexican Conquistador Dance Mask & Helmet, ex-Holler & Saunders

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Lot 293
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Mexican Conquistador Dance Mask & Helmet, ex-Holler & Saunders
Mexican Conquistador Dance Mask & Helmet, ex-Holler & Saunders
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Mexican Conquistador Dance Mask & Helmet, ex-Holler & Saunders

Estimate: $1,300 - $1,900

Starting Bid: $650

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 11, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Latin America, Mexican., ca. 1933 - 1966 CE. A blazing vermilion máscara de conquista depicting a bearded Spanish soldier, its heavy-lidded eyes with radiating lashes and gilt irises set beneath an exaggerated brimmed hat painted with a cross and foliate scrolls. Hand-carved from wood and finished in thick polychromy, the face shows a sharp, faceted nose, rouged cheeks, pursed lips, and a neatly outlined barba; the dramatic red hat, recalling a morrión-like helmet, is integral to the character’s European guise. Pierced along the sides for cords (one surviving) and exhibiting honest wear and touch-ups from festival use, this mask would have been performed in the Moros y Cristianos cycle or the Danza de la Conquista, pageants introduced in the colonial era to narrate the encounter between Indigenous peoples and Spaniards; in these dramas, the “conquistador” or Cristiano is conventionally shown fair-faced, bearded, and hatted. Parallels are held in the Museo Nacional de la Máscara (San Luis Potosí), the Fowler Museum at UCLA, and the Brooklyn Museum. Size: 11" W x 14" H x 5" D (27.9 cm W x 35.6 cm H x 12.7 cm D)

Provenance: Ex-private collection of Samuel Saunders, Nogales, AZ, partner of Holler & Saunders, Ltd., founded in 1979 and widely regarded as one of the preeminent authorities in Spanish Colonial and Mexican folk art.

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Item # 201763

  • Condition: Small areas of paint loss as expected with masks that have been ceremonially danced.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 + $1,000