Indonesian Wayang Puppet. Hand-carved and painted wood with hand stitched fabric and ornamentation. Dimensions 9 x 17 x 5".
Wayang is Indonesia’s puppet theatre art. For centuries Wayang flourished at the royal courts of Java and Bali as well as in rural areas; with two most popular ones called Wayang Kulit (shadow puppets made of leather) and Wayang Golek (wooden rod puppets). Wayang is performed by a master puppeteer (dalang) who manipulates the swiveling arms while singers and musicians play complex melodies to convey folktales, which ranges from more dramatic tales to comedy legends.