Antique Double Ox Yoke — New Mexico Hispano Folk, 62", Wall Hardwar

A double ox neck yoke hand-carved from a single timber in the New Mexico Hispano folk tradition, used for hitching a pair of draft oxen to a plow, cart, or wagon. The sinuous double-waisted profile cradles each animal's neck at the concave junctions, flanked by four raised rectangular tab projections that anchored the wooden bows beneath the oxen's throats. A square mortise through the center body accepted the iron ring or chain connecting the yoke to the implement. At 62¼" wide and nearly 20 pounds, this is a full working-scale yoke sized for large draft animals — not a decorative or miniature piece. The wood, likely local pine or cottonwood, has weathered to a warm tan with silvered gray tones on the reverse face, the pronounced grain and deep checking the natural result of decades of outdoor agricultural service. New Mexico Hispano yugos of this scale, carved from a single billet rather than assembled from parts, represent the region's Spanish Colonial ranching and farming heritage and are increasingly sought by collectors of Southwestern and American folk material culture.

Two modern D-ring hanging brackets have been mounted to the back face, preparing the piece for immediate wall display without additional hardware.

CONDITION

Good. Deep checking, surface grain separation, and overall weathered patina are present across the full length and wholly consistent with authentic working use and age. A through-crack runs transversely near one bow-staple junction, and one terminal end shows minor fragment loss.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 7¼" H × 62¼" W × 5½" D
• Weight: Approximately 20 lbs
• Wall-mount D-ring hardware: Included
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale