Azteca Dance of the Conquest Mask ( Mask with eagle nose/projection, and long horsehair beard) Puebla or Veracruz, Mexico. 20th century. Oil paint on carved wood with horse hair (10.5” h. x 7” w. x 10.75” d., 26” h. w/ beard) Provenance: from the Katharyn and Gordon Rayner Collection of Mexican Masks, Canada. Purchased from the collection of Jaled Muyaes, Mexico City, c.1990.
In the Fall of 2023 this mask was included in an exhibition at the Mexican embassy in Otttawa, Canada.

Unsigned but attributed to Victoriano Salgado Morales (1920 - 2012) Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico, c.1970 - 1980 Maque lacquer on wood. (11.5" H x 9" W x 6.5" D.) Provenance: estate of artist William Scharf, NYC. A prolific designer and maker of wooden, maque, decorative masks used by dancers in Purépecha fiestas, one of Grand Masters of Mexican Folk art and one of last skilled masters of this unique art form, Mr. Salgado learned this skill from several mask makers of the Magdalena neighborhood where he grew up. His first mask dates back to 1950 and it was a "Negrito" folk dance mask. Victoriano's masks are not painted, the process used for color is a highly superior technique called "maque", which is a pre-hispanic process involving numerous applications of natural earth and insect pigments and oils applied with the palm of the hand that hardens into a brilliant, lustrous surface. Mr. Salgado created over 60 different masks, the most famous: dance of the Señor Naranjo, and the dance of the Tataqueri, Corcovi, Negritos and Viejitos. He passed away on September 2012 two weeks before receiving the Erendira Award, The highest prize given by the Michoacan State Government.

Poro secret society, Liberia
Wood with glass tube eyes, steel nail in forehead (9" h. x 5 1/4” w. 3 1/2” d.)

Ex. collection of Jonathan Fisher
ex. Charles D. Miler III, 1976.

Unsigned but attributed to Victoriano Salgado Morales (1920 - 2012)
Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico,
c.1970 - 1980
Maque lacquer on wood.
(9" h. x 7” w. x 5” d.)

A prolific designer and maker of wooden, maque, decorative masks used by dancers in Purépecha fiestas, one of Grand Masters of Mexican Folk art and one of last skilled masters of this unique art form.  Mr. Salgado learned this skill from several mask makers of the Magdalena neighborhood where he grew up. His first mask dates back to 1950 and it was a "Negrito" folk dance mask.

Victoriano's masks are not painted, the process used for color is a highly superior technique called "maque", which is a pre-hispanic process involving numerous applications of natural earth and insect pigments and oils applied with the palm of the hand that hardens into a brilliant, lustrous surface. 

Mr. Salgado created over 60 different masks, the most famous: dance of the Señor Naranjo, and the dance of the Tataqueri, Corcovi, Negritos and Viejitos.

He passed away on September 2012 two weeks before receiving the Erendira Award, The highest prize given by the Michoacan State Government.

Fon, Benin, late 20th century
Pair of masks - Wood with red, green, yellow, black, white oil paints, remnants of rubber inner tube chin straps.  Initials "S.P." painted on the back of both masks (8” h x 6 1/2” w. x 8 1/2” d., 7 1/4" h. x 8” w. x 7 1/2” d.).  
Ex. collection of Nancy Josephson.  Purchased by collector in Benin, c.2000.

Animal (tapir or wild boar) mask. State undetermined, Mexico. Mid-20th century. wood, oil paint, glass marbles (16” h. x 7” w. x 6” d.)
Provenance: from the Katharyn and Gordon Rayner Collection of Mexican Masks, Canada. Purchased from the collection of Jaled Muyaes, Mexico City, c.1990.
In the Fall of 2023 this mask was included in an exhibition at the Mexican embassy in Otttawa, Canada.

Dance of Tigres. Zitlala, Guerrero, Mexico. Mid-20th century.
Painted leather with boar bristles, glass mirrors, cotton (14.5” h. x 16.75” w. x 12” d. )
Provenance: from the Katharyn and Gordon Rayner Collection of Mexican Masks, Canada. Purchased in Mexico c. 1990.
In the Fall of 2023 this mask was included in an exhibition at the Mexican embassy in Otttawa, Canada.

Sri Lanka, mid-20th century
Wood,  painted with oil and water-based paints.
(24” h. x 20” w. x 18” d.)

Puebla (?), Mexico, mid-20th century wood, oil paint (8.25” h. x 6.5” w. x 4.75” d.)
Provenance: from the Katharyn and Gordon Rayner Collection of Mexican Masks, Canada. Purchased from the collection of Jaled Muyaes, Mexico City, c.1990.
In the Fall of 2023 this mask was included in an exhibition at the Mexican embassy in Otttawa, Canada.