Nuu-chah-nulth Mask

Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia

George Terasaki, New York, acquired from the above in 1973

Sotheby's, New York, Sculpture from the Collection of George Terasaki, November 19, 2019, lot 48, consigned by the estate of the above

Elliot Lawrence, New York, acquired after the above auction

Steven C. Brown, Transfigurations: North Pacific Coast Art. George Terasaki, Collector, Seattle, 2006, n.p., pl. 8 (two views)

The creation of masks with articulated parts reached its peak among carvers of the Vancouver Island region, particularly the Kwakwaka'wakw. The neighboring Nuu-chah-nulth also produced a great variety of complex masks that enhance their dramatic performances. Many of these depict multiple images, with ingenious parts that open up, spin around, fan out from, or extend above the parent mask, representing transformations or manifesting the magical powers of the represented being. A number of carvings with mechanical features include eyes and mouths that open and close, and this exceptional mask was once so animated. Now the wide openings of the eyes are empty and the mouth is still, but one can imagine the dramatic effect provided by their movements. The naturalistic rendering of the face includes little painted decoration. Only the eyebrows, mustache, and once the eyes themselves showing painted details. The sheen of graphite or some other mineral pigment has been added to the mustache. A softly wrinkled forehead and raised brows contribute to the wide-eyed and open-mouthed look of wonder and surprise in the mask's expression. Smoothly finished and warmly colored, the surface of the wood follows natural human contours, especially about the nose, lips, and cheeks. Subtle ears are carved at the sides of the face, and human hair was once pegged in the top of the forehead. The naturalism of this sculpture is a refined departure from many more common types of Nuu-chah-nulth human face masks.

As in other masks with movable eyes, these were once most likely carved in a football-like shape, with the plane representing the open eye somewhat flattened off. The eyes turned on a horizontal axis, pinned at the ends and rotating in pivot points inside the mask, realistically rolling up or down to simulate the opening and closing of the eyelids. The mouth is carved in such a way that suggests there was once something inside it that would move up and down or in and out, though such a feature is no longer present. Controlled by the wearer with concealed strings, the movement of such seemingly simple facial traits is a startling vision to experience.

Steven C. Brown