whistle;
toy
- Museum number
- Am1978,15.498
- Description
-
Toy whistle; made of varnished pottery; in the form of nativity scene (nacimiento in Spanish); Joseph at left and Mary at right on either side of baby Jesus under slanted roof of house; two cows stand in front of crib; bird on roof of house with hole in tail for mouthpiece, hole on back for expelling air; all accented with yellow paint; spikes hang down from roof.
- Production date
- 1970s
- Dimensions
-
Height: 14 centimetres
-
Width: 12.50 centimetres
-
Depth: 12 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- For a long time, there has been a tradition of toy-making in Ocumicho. In the decades following the time this object was collected, toys got larger and more elaborate (see 1988 Am8.394, 1990 Am 8.155-6 for comparison). Whistles such as this were not specifically created for the Day of the Dead Festival, but were often sold at fairs like La Feria de la Cañada in the run-up to the Day of the Dead Festival.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1977-1978, London, Horniman Museum
- Condition
- One spike broken off at left of roof; Joseph broken off at ankles.
- Acquisition date
- 1978
- Acquisition notes
- Objects collected during the 1970s by Chloë Sayer and Marcos Ortiz. They were exhibited in 1977-1978 at the Horniman Museum, and later acquired by the British Museum.
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am1978,15.498
