Head of a Javanese rod puppet, 19th century
Puppet
19th century (made)
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Javanese wayang golek or rod puppets are carved from soft wood, with necks that can swivel and bodies clad in long cotton sarongs. Their headdresses, costumes and colours can indicate the puppets’ characters. White means purity, virtue and moral integrity and is often the face colour of princes. Red means aggressiveness and anger, while blue and green faces mean cowardliness and hypocrisy. They are operated from below the stage by a central rod and by rods connected to the puppets’ hands. The puppeteer directs the performance and speaks all the roles. Behind him sit female singers and a gamelan orchestra.
Dating back to the 16th century, the plays they performed were based on Javanese folklore or stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, ancient Indian epic stories featuring the struggle between good and evil, with good figures on the left of the puppeteer or dalang, and the evil on his left.
Dating back to the 16th century, the plays they performed were based on Javanese folklore or stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, ancient Indian epic stories featuring the struggle between good and evil, with good figures on the left of the puppeteer or dalang, and the evil on his left.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Head of a Javanese rod puppet, 19th century (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Carved wood with painted decoration |
Brief description | Head of a carved and painted wayang golek puppet. Javanese, 19th century. |
Physical description | Painted wooden head, possibly representing Gatotkaca. Face painted green with red eyes and lips. Also wears painted red and gold patterned crown with pink bird. Body is missing. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Lanchester Collection |
Summary | Javanese wayang golek or rod puppets are carved from soft wood, with necks that can swivel and bodies clad in long cotton sarongs. Their headdresses, costumes and colours can indicate the puppets’ characters. White means purity, virtue and moral integrity and is often the face colour of princes. Red means aggressiveness and anger, while blue and green faces mean cowardliness and hypocrisy. They are operated from below the stage by a central rod and by rods connected to the puppets’ hands. The puppeteer directs the performance and speaks all the roles. Behind him sit female singers and a gamelan orchestra. Dating back to the 16th century, the plays they performed were based on Javanese folklore or stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, ancient Indian epic stories featuring the struggle between good and evil, with good figures on the left of the puppeteer or dalang, and the evil on his left. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.979-2011 |
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Record created | February 28, 2012 |
Record URL |
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