**Originally Listed At $1500**

Native American, Pacific Northwest, ca. 1968 CE, created by Lelooska (Don Smith, 1933-1996). An incredible hand-carved wooden mask in the form of a mountain goat, created by Lelooska, one of a handful of artists credited with creating a renaissance of Northwest Coastal art in the second half of the twentieth century. The mask has two accompanying photos of the artist with it. It is large, with an articulated jaw that naturally hangs open, giving it a playful appearance. Large black horns rise from the center of the head, and two big, flap-like ears, stretch out to the upper sides behind the horns. The eyes are large and round, with huge, heavy black eyebrows arched above them. Large nostrils on the end of the blunt nose draw the viewer's eye. The head is accented with thick, applied, wooly white hair around the top and sides and under the chin. Size: 13" L x 17" W x 15" H (33 cm x 43.2 cm x 38.1 cm); 22" H (55.9 cm) on included custom stand.

In addition to being a hugely celebrated artist and storyteller, Lelooska had a keen interest in studying many different aspects of Native American culture, especially those linked to the Pacific Northwest, including speaking several Native American languages. In 1977 he created the Lelooska Foundation, which, along with the advice of chiefs and tribal elders, allowed him to create a living history program that continues to this day. Lelooska was born of Cherokee heritage, and was adopted in adulthood by the Kwakiutl Sewid clan (Kwakwaka'wakw). His peak years of fame and artistic output were from the 1970s to the early 1990s, and his shows attracted as many as 30,000 people per year.

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#133474

Small areas of surface wear commensurate with age, including a few chips and nicks and the top of one of the horns missing its tip. That same horn has been reattached to the head. Aside from that, the piece is overall in great condition.