Antiques Indonesian Shadow Puppets (Wayang Kulit) with Original Buffalo Leather - Dursasana
Material: buffalo leather
Size: Height 50 cm, about 500-800gram
Feature: Hand Made, soft sculpture, buffalo horn handle of the Ordinary (Black)
model/character: Dursasana
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Wayang Kulit
Wayang
kulit, shadow puppets prevalent in Java and Bali in Indonesia, are
without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian wayang. Kulit means
skin, and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are
carefully chiselled with very fine tools and supported with carefully
shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.
The stories are usually drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Serat Menak.
There
is a family of characters in Javanese wayang called Punakawan; they are
sometimes referred to as "clown-servants" because they normally are
associated with the story's hero, and provide humorous and philosophical
interludes. Semar is the father of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and
Bagong (youngest son). These characters did not originate in the Hindu
epics, but were added later, possibly to introduce mystical aspects of
Islam into the Hindu-Javanese stories.[3] They provide something akin to
a political cabaret, dealing with gossip and contemporary affairs.
The
puppet figures themselves vary from place to place. In Central Java the
city of Surakarta (Solo) and city of Yogyakarta are most famous and the
most commonly imitated style of puppets. Regional styles of shadow
puppets can also be found in West Java, Banyumas, Cirebon, Semarang, and
East Java. Bali produces more compact and naturalistic figures, and
Lombok has figures representing real people. Often modern-world objects
as bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and ships will be added for comic
effect, but for the most part the traditional puppet designs have
changed little in the last 300 years.
Historically,
the performance consisted of shadows cast on a cotton screen and an oil
lamp. Today, the source of light used in wayang performance in Java is
most often a halogen electric light. Some modern forms of wayang such as
Wayang Sandosa created in the Art Academy at Surakarta (STSI) has
employed spotlights, colored lights and other innovations.
The
handwork involved in making a wayang kulit figure that is suitable for a
performance takes several weeks, with the artists working together in
groups. They start from master models (typically on paper) which are
traced out onto kulit (skin or parchment), providing the figures with an
outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut
(such as for the mouth or eyes). The figures are then smoothed, usually
with a glass bottle, and primed. The structure is inspected and
eventually the details are worked through. A further smoothing follows
before individual painting, which is undertaken by yet another
craftsman. Finally, the movable parts (upper arms, lower arms with hands
and the associated sticks for manipulation) mounted on the body, which
has a central staff by which it is held. A crew makes up to ten figures
at a time, typically completing that number over the course of a week.
The
painting of less expensive puppets is handled expediently with a spray
technique, using templates, and with a different person handling each
color. Less expensive puppets, often sold to children during
performances, are sometimes made on cardboard instead of leather.' (wikipedia)
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We will send this item using EMS service estimated delivery time is approximately 1-2 weeks (exclude handling time)