El Circo Item Number: 2903/40 a-h from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Box depicting a circus, including three-dimensional performers and characters. The box has a deep green frame that surrounds the stage of the circus. On the left and right sides on the front of the box, there are red, gold and green painted panels with images of birds and hearts. In the lower left corner is an image of a clown on paper applied to the box. The clown holds a circular sign around his face that reads in English “only to say how do you do and introduce myself to you.” A sign at the top of the box on the front side reads “Mageepan” in green letters surrounded by a red rectangle. Near the bottom of the left and right interior walls images of children watching the circus have been added. There are six small holes in the interior top wall; red cord extends out of five of them and a thin wooden stick comes out of the other. The wooden stick descends into a hole in the bottom, interior side of the object. In the same fashion, another wooden stick extends horizontally across the interior of the object, near the top. The red cords are attached to two wooden trapeze bars and to a large painted ball. A figure is suspended from each of the trapeze bars. They have ceramic hands, feet and heads and wear black and white costumes with red sashes, and have silver pipe cleaners wrapped around their black hats. The back wall of the circus is painted with parted green curtains and a red backdrop. A woman in a black dress flies across the red backdrop. A crescent moon is painted overtop the green curtain near the right side of the object. A paper cherub is above the moon. A paper image of a girl in a pink hat, dress and white eggshell costume is on the bottom left side of the back wall near the green curtain. To her right, there is a large painted grey elephant with a paper harlequin sitting atop it. In front of the green curtain in the lower right corner is a paper elephant wearing a red jacket and green and yellow striped pants riding a gold bicycle. Parts b-h are removable figures and miniature chairs. The figures have ceramic hands, feet and heads. Their bodies and clothing are made of cloth. Figure b is a woman wearing a black dress with large purple, yellow and red flowers on it and a black turban-like hat. Part c is a woman sitting on a small wooden chair. She wears a red tunic, short red pants, black boots and a black turban-like hat and has a flower painted on her cheek. Figure d is a human-bird hybrid. Its body is round, black and soft and has black sequins around the neckline. The figure’s face has a yellow beak and black designs painted onto it. Part e is a man with a mustache wearing a black and white gingham shirt and a green hat. Part f is a small wooden chair with a seat made from woven pieces of wood. Part g is a woman wearing a purple turban-like hat, red V-neck tunic and orange pants. Figure h is a mustachioed man wearing blue pants, a striped blue and white shirt and pink and green suspenders with blue flowers; his hair is black and curly.