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THBTwo Yaqui Pascola Masks - Goat / Horse Hair & Nacre
Lot 74a
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,200 - $1,800
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Native American, northwestern Mexico / southern Arizona, Sonora / Pima, Rio Yaqui valley, Yaqui (also Hiaki or Yoeme) people, Potam / Tucson, ca. mid-20th century CE. Attributed to Lino Abato. A spirited pair of mid-20th century Yaqui pascola (pasko'ola) masks, hand-carved from wood, painted in bold pigments, and crowned with flowing moustaches, brows, and beards of horse or goat hair. Attributed by the previous owner to the renowned Yaqui carver Lino Abato, the masks carry the theatrical presence and layered symbolism essential to pascola performance. Both bear the sacred emblem of a painted cross upon the forehead, a mark that ties the dancer to the spiritual drama of the role. Size of larger without beard (dotted mask): 5" W x 7.6" H (12.7 cm x 19.3 cm); with beard: 5" W x 14" H (12.7 cm x 35.6 cm)
One mask is alive with white dotted motifs scattered across a black field, the pattern punctuated by a second cross painted boldly upon the chin. At the center of the forehead cross gleams a false plastic gem, flanked by a delicate arc of inlaid nacre shell that catches the light in motion. The mouth is neatly drilled, allowing the dancer to breathe and speak through the performance, while the deep reddish-brown lips lend the face a solemn intensity.
The second mask contrasts in both mood and design: its black ground is broken by sharp white starbursts, and the mouth is open and carved in high relief, the tongue painted in a vivid red that protrudes between white-painted teeth. Here, the expression borders on mischievous defiance, an energy meant to unsettle and amuse in equal measure.
In Yaqui tradition, pascolas trace their lineage to ancient animist beliefs blended with Jesuit Catholicism. Once considered the "children of the Devil" whom God won in a game, they dance at the heart of community celebrations - Easter rites, saints' feast days, weddings, funerals, and village fiestas. Their role is both sacred and satirical: to honor tradition while breaking taboos, provoking laughter, mimicking animals, reversing gender roles, and staging playful mockery of village life. Dancers wear a belt hung with twelve bells for the apostles, cords and butterfly cocoons on the legs to evoke snakes and rattles, and a flower atop the head for spring's renewal.
These two masks, with their contrasting surfaces - one bejeweled and patterned, the other fierce and unflinching - capture the duality at the heart of the pascola: a vessel of ritual authority and a mischievous provocateur. Together they stand as vibrant examples of mid-century Yaqui artistry, each carved to animate not only the dancer's face, but the spirit of the dance itself.
Please note this item may fall under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and may not be eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.
Parts from certain animal species including nacre shell may require an additional license upon import into another country due to legislation relating to endangered species and environmental conservation. If you are not sure whether CITES rules apply to your item, please see the CITES Appendices.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196371Mask with protruding tongue has repairs to chin and forehead, as well as chips to nose, and "RO" inscribed on verso. Other mask is intact with worn edges due to age and "40" inscribed on verso. Both have good remains of pigment and hair as well as light patina throughout.Condition
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