Cabeça de diabo 30cm - Prazeres Côta

This three-horned Devil head seems to have emerged from the folk legends of the Minho, where the wondrous often meets the unsettling. Flamboyant red, with wide-open eyes emphasised by deep black details, it has an almost hypnotic theatrical presence, like a mask shaped both to ward off evil and inspire fascination.

Yet through Prazeres Côta’s free and mischievously expressive interpretation, this demonic figure loses any real sense of darkness. Its curled moustache, small visible teeth, oversized ears and three proudly raised horns make it appear more playful than frightening. A remarkable piece blending folk art, fantasy and Portugal’s ancestral imagination.

Why I love it

• An unclassifiable work between folk art and naïve art.
• A unique and authentic piece.
• An expressive fragment of Portuguese folk culture.

Details

• One-of-a-kind piece
• Height: approximately 30cm (11.8'')
• Weight: approximately 2kg

More informations?

The Côta family is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and charismatic representatives of the figurative art of Barcelos and the Minho region in northern Portugal.

Today, Prazeres, one of Júlia Côta’s daughters, passionately continues the family tradition begun by her great-grandfather, João Domingos Côta da Rocha, creator of the legendary Galo de Barcelos, now one of Portugal’s most recognised symbols.

Introduced to a wider audience at the Feira de Barcelos in 2018, where she received the Revelation of the Year award, Prazeres is now recognised as a rising figure in Portuguese folk art. The Pottery Museum celebrates her work through the exhibition "Geração Côta", which brings together several of her creations from her own collection and private collections.