José Cisneros "Spanish Conquistador — Late 16th Cent." Signed Pen & Ink Print, 1982

A signed pen-and-ink print by José Cisneros (1910–2009), the El Paso–based illustrator whose meticulous draftsmanship defined the visual record of the Spanish Borderlands. The composition depicts a mounted Spanish conquistador in plumed morion and armor, mailed arm extended toward a distant horizon, his horse standing among yuccas and desert scrub. The image is plate-signed and dated "J. Cisneros / El Paso / 82" at lower left, captioned "Spanish Conquistador - Late 16th Cent." in script along the lower margin, and signed in pencil "José Cisneros" at the lower right.

Cisneros emigrated from Durango, Mexico to El Paso as a young man and spent seven decades documenting the riders, soldiers, missionaries, and vaqueros of the Spanish Colonial frontier in precise pen-and-ink. His work illustrated Tom Lea's books, hangs in the collections of the El Paso Museum of Art and the Bancroft Library, and earned him the National Humanities Medal in 2002. This conquistador study is characteristic of his mature period — fine crosshatching, ethnographically accurate armor and tack, and a deep familiarity with the Chihuahuan landscape framing the figure. Presented in a deep oak frame with burgundy mat behind glass.

CONDITION

Very Good. The print is clean and bright with strong contrast and no visible foxing or toning to the sheet. Frame shows light wear consistent with age.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Frame (Overall): 23 3/8" H × 17 7/8" W × 1" D
• Sight (Visible Image): 16 1/2" H × 11" W
• Medium: Pen and ink print on cream wove paper
• Plate-signed and dated lower left: J. Cisneros / El Paso / 82
• Pencil-signed lower right: José Cisneros
• Captioned: "Spanish Conquistador - Late 16th Cent."
• Presentation: Oak frame, burgundy mat, behind glass