Silver and Piteado Saddle Belonging to Manuel Ávila Comacho

Elaborate and elegant piteado and silver saddle and accessories, owned by the former President of Mexico. On an El Tigre rawhide tree, with high-relief silver work and extensive piteado embroidery of the finest craftsmanship. Leather laced edges, silver conchos and stirrup mountings. Impressive horsehead and horseshoe “crest” in silver on the horn. Matching saddle bags, rifle scabbard, and matching sword scabbard on the other side that is complete with an engraved sword with silver handle and guard. The acid etched blade reads, “Solo que la mar se seque no me bañaré en sus olas” with “Oaxaca” on the other side. Matching bridle with silver horsehead and horseshoe decorations. Complete with ornate fringed saddle pad with floral tooling and lion’s head designs in corner, and a rare and unusual dispatch case. Includes wrought-iron stand.

Manuel Ávila Camacho was president of Mexico from 1940 to 1946.

Verbal history: From the Estate of Manuel Ávila Camacho

Lot 491, Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - January 25-26, 2019. Mesa, AZ.
Sold $20,060.

Mexican General Rafael Avila Camacho (1904-1975)

Lot 114: Historic Hollywood Parade Saddle, Accessories and personal Artifacts belonging to Mexican General Rafael Avila Camacho (1904-1975)

Black floral carved silver mounted Southern California parade ensemble maker-marked Hollywood Saddlery Ltd., circa 1940, with black & white wool Corona. Includes matching Breast Collar plus Bridle and Reins with outstanding Mexican Bit. The saddle is artfully mounted with finely engraved silvered cantle, gullet and swell caps, and adorned with sterling silver diamonds bordering the fenders, skirts and tapaderos. 

Lot includes Camacho’s floral carved and monogrammed Scabbard with silver adornments; his impressive studded Mexican Chapaderos with wide initialed carved leather belt, and military insignia, plus a framed, enamel Tin Plaque commemorating his heroic military service from 1921-23. There is also one 1949 studio photograph of the General participating in a parade mounted on this very saddle and another picture showing him participating in a function when he was Governor of the state of Puebla.

Provenance: Acquired in 2014 from Carlos Moreno Vasquez who purchased the saddle and accessories directly from descendants of the Avila Camacho family that continue to reside in Teziutlan, Puebla, Mexico today. 

Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction - January 23, 2016
Sold 14,950

Exquisite Mexican Saddle

Lot 207: Elegant 1900s Mexican Saddle by Lozano

Intricately detailed light brown 1900s Mexican Saddle with long saddle bags artfully designed with a scalloped border and adorned with a combination of deep floral carving; lavish two-tone pitiado (yucca fiber) with a Greek Key border design framing an embroidered grape-vine pattern with grape clusters cleverly fabricated from fine silver threads. Silver mountings include a figural repousse flat horn, maker stamped “E ROMAN / MEXICO”, repousse adornments on the fork, swell and gullet, plus heavy gauge slotted silver conchos and lavish stirrups. Highly detailed silver repousse stirrups. The cowhide seat cover was added many years ago but is not original to the rawhide seat and should be removable. Excellent overall condition including original cinch. Marked: TALABARTERIA DAVID LOZANO CALLE DE ZULETA / MEXICO / 589. / 4=8=1904.

Provenance: Acquired by German Industrialist Hans Koch (1893-1945) in Mexico around 1900. Koch was a member of the “Cowboy Club of Munich” established in 1913 and a passionate collector of American antiques. Koch was also a lawyer, State Commissar of the Berlin Stock Exchange and a member of the German resistance against the Nazis.

Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction - January 23, 2016
Sold $16,520

Mexican President Porfirio Diaz's Saddle

Lot 203: Important Mexican Saddle made for Porfirio Diaz

Classic late 19th - early 20th century Mexican saddle with matching saddle bags, custom made for President Porfirio Diaz. Featuring traditional period Charro styling with partially exposed rawhide tree, trimmed with repousse floral patterned silver ornamentation on the oversized horn, upper gullet and cantle edge. Mounted with multiple silver inlaid slotted conchos with original latigo strings, plus ornate stirrups and period cinch with silver inlaid cinch rings. The saddle is regally adorned with natural piteado fiber embroidered in elegant and intricate patterns appropriate to Diaz’s position.  A noteworthy and historic Mexican presidential saddle manufactured during a most fascinating and tumultuous transitional period in Mexico’s evolution to modernity, the saddle was made by Porfirio Diaz's personal saddle maker between 1890-1912. It is well maker-marked under both the saddle bags and under the seat as follows: FUSTES FINOS / DE / MADERA GARANDZADA / Z. LOPEZ / ESPECIAL MENTE PARA TALABARTERIA / DE / SOSTENES TAPIA / PORFIRIO DIAZ No 6. / PUEBLA. Leather is stamped TALABARTERIA.DE.SOSTENES.TAPIA.CALLE.DE. / PORFIRIO.DIAZ.N6.PUEBLA.

Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction - January 23, 2016
Sold $13,800

Provenance: Private collection of Enrique Guerra; to artist Tom Lovell; to present owner.
Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915)

José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican soldier, military hero, and politician, who served seven terms as President of Mexico; a total of three and a half decades from 1876 and 1911. Diaz perhaps qualifies as one of Mexico's most controversial statesmen since he is frequently remembered as being one of the country's most notorious dictators yet ironically, his record includes significant accomplishments including bringing Mexico into the modern age while his country achieved financial solvency during his extended reign.