Context (Field collection)
Collected by Professor Frederick Starr in 1898.
Event Date 1898
Author: Lucie Carreau

Context (Amendments / updates)
The Frederick Starr Collection of Mexican Folklore was never catalogued when it came to the museum. Cataloguing was done in 1984 when, by error, some of the items were entered in the 1984 book instead of the Z book. To try to correct this in the simplest way possible, all these numbers were grouped under a single Z number, in addition to the number already given. The remainder of the collection was then given individual Z numbers in the normal way. The collection was examined in 1984 by Dr Charlene Cerny (Director of the Museum of National Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico) and her colleague, Valentin Jacques, both experts on Mexican folk art. Her notes on the collection, together with a xerox of the original catalogue, which has full details on the uses of the various items, is on file. The collection is unusual in being well documented and of such an early date, and is a rare one outside Mexico. Not all the items listed in the original catalogue were found at the time of cataloguing.
Event Date 1984
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Description for Z 39741 A-B: 'Pair of orange clay balls, with purple bristles. Used as a Holy Week decoration'
Event Date 9/2/1993
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Clay ball coated with orange pigment and decorated with a lozenge of silver foil. Purple bristles inserted through the centre and protruding from one side; the ends of the bristles are coated in solidified wax. Part of a pair with Z 39741 A.
Event Date 21/6/2021
Author: Lily Stancliffe