Javanese rod puppet representing Arjuna, 19th century thumbnail 1
Javanese rod puppet representing Arjuna, 19th century thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Javanese rod puppet representing Arjuna, 19th century

Puppet
20th 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.

In the Mahabharata Arjuna was a mighty warrior, one of the five Pandava brothers who are significant characters in the epic.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleJavanese rod puppet representing Arjuna, 19th century (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved wood with painted decoration, sewn batik cloth
Brief description
One of two carved and painted wayang golek puppets. Rod puppet representing Arjuna. Javanese, 19th century.
Physical description
Painted wooden head, and gold painted arms, legs and torso. Face painted white with black eyes and red mouth. Has painted gold, blue, white, yellow and red crown and wings. Wearing long flowing brown and white patterned batik skirt. Also wears blue sash. Operated by two wooden rods attached to the arms.
Dimensions
  • From the top of the crown to the bottom height: 64cm
  • From arm to arm width: 39cm
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.

In the Mahabharata Arjuna was a mighty warrior, one of the five Pandava brothers who are significant characters in the epic.
Associated object
S.981-2011 (Object)
Collection
Accession number
S.982-2011

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2012
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