Archives for category: puppet
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Shadow Puppet

12/16/2011 //
0

W600xH600, China

This is a shadow puppet from the province of Luo Shan.  The written history of shadow puppet in China dated back over 1000 years and spread all over the country, slowly each region has their own characteristic, in terms of the puppet, its control and of course the singing (as each area has a different dialect).  450 year ago in Ming dynasty shadow puppet theatre arrived Luo Shan from Luan Zhou.  Unlike the other region that uses donkey skin, Luo Shan’s puppets are with buffalo skin.  Each puppet are controlled by 3 bamboo rods and cast over a white cloth screen of 1.8x1m. The puppet theatre group would consist of 8 people (3 puppeteers), the puppet “cast” are huge (300 odd heads to match with 80 odd bodies), apart from characters there are also sets of  mountain, forest, vehicles, animals, furniture, etc!

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Categories figurine, leather / feather, puppet

Chinese Shadow Puppet

12/01/2011 //
0

W250xH300mm, China

Before the arrival of cinema, television and the internet, shadow puppet was the “it” entertainment in China.  The puppet is placed next to the screen (a 1 sq m treated muslin)  with lighting from behind.  Like the theater, the puppet casts include the hero, heroine, masculine, villain and of course the clown.  Each puppet is controlled with 5 bamboo stick; the puppeteer is responsible for the control 4 puppets, singing, narration, dialogue and drums.  The shadow puppet is usually made of  donkey skin which give a more transparent effect.

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Categories figurine, leather / feather, puppet

Puppet (Wire Puppet)

11/11/2011 //
0

H500xW150mm, China (Chaozhou)

This is a Chaozhou wire puppet.  The head and the body are made by 3 separate specialist craftman, a pottery is charge of the clay head, an embroider is responsible for the costume and the puppet maker for the body, legs, hands and putting the puppet all together.  The body is made with a piece of local soft wood (Erythrina variegata) that has been treated by wetting and drying against cracking and snapping.  The clay head is painted over with the facial characteristic for the different character of the puppet show and these also go for the costume.

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Categories clay, figurine, puppet, wood

Quan Zhou Puppet Head

10/25/2011 //
2

H100xW50xD60mm, China

Puppets originally are used as burial item made to replace human sacrificial burial.  In the Han dynasty theatrical art developed, puppet show was not only the first performance art of China, it was the leader of all theatrical art.  By Sung Dynasty, Quan Zhou was the cosmopolitan of its time; arts, trade, religion were at their peak, religious ceremony was held every 3-5 days, the witch craft associated puppet show flourished. There was a demand of high quality puppets, the carving works of the head that were in the beginning carried out by the Buddha statue craftman were later developed as specialised art.  This is a glove puppet of a monk, the eye and the mouth can be controlled separately and there is even a small tongue!

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Categories figurine, puppet, wood

Puppet (wire puppet)

09/09/2011 //
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H500xW150mm, China (Chaozhou)

There are many different types of puppet in China, this is a Chaozhou wire puppet.  It is called a wire puppet because it is controlled by 3 metal wire, one supports the head and the other two control the arms.  Its other name “paper shadow puppet” reveals its history; at the Song dynasty the flat shadow puppet was introduced in the chaozhou region, it was later developed into 3D, as the demand from the spectators grow the paper between the puppet and the spectator is removed and the feature of the puppet refined (head, hands and feet, elaborated costumes).  The head is made with clay, paper as hands, dried grass as body and wooden carved legs but the wire control remains.

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Categories clay, puppet, wood
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