Mexico Mexican Barbones Rain Petitioning Dance Folk Art Mask Late19th/early 20th

Description

Errant Artifacts would like to offer a bit of exotic flavor:
Wonderful Mexican decorative mask. I so enjoyed reading the folklore(which was debunked by many experts) in Donald Cordry’s book, Mexican Masks, 1980. Cordry refers to these as “Rain-petitioning dance” lovingly nicknaming them Barbones(Bearded ones). These have been proven to be decorative only and not used in traditional dances.
Barbones were originally made for wealthy Americans and other European travelers by the craftsmen in the state of Guerrero in the mid-late 19 c. Highly decorative and wonderful craftsmanship these still can be considered great folk art.
This piece is hand hammered copper and has wonderful paint and most likely dates from the last quarter of the 19th c. - the first decade of the 20th c.
As you can see from images this piece is not perfect, paint loss, discoloration, wear overall commensurate with age. If you need further images or have further questions please ask prior to committing to purchase.