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Cultural Context

Theatrical performance.

Iconographic Meaning

Coarse, unrefined features define the Buta class of ogres and demons, as well as their personalities onstage. Pink colour of face represents fury, cruelty, greed, ruthlessness, and treacherousness. Tusks and most other traits of this puppet are kasar (evil) rather than noble or holy (alus). Hands flat and extended represent ordinary birth or demons; checkered sarong indicates a servant or clown. Puppet probably belongs to a sub-class of demon known as the Buta Hijau, although they typically have green rather than pink faces.

Description

Three-dimensional puppet depicting a male humanoid mythical being: large head (part b) fits into body with jacket and skirt (part a), and a control rod (part c) with a long shaft passes through the body and fits into the neck of the figure's head. The body has jointed arms, each with a long controlling rod attached. The figure has a large, flesh-coloured head with round, bulbous features. Broad, bare forehead, bulging eyes, and a broad and flat nose. Wide toothy mouth with one hooked tooth in each corner, curved upwards. Red lips and irises, black lines define eyes, nose, eyebrows, ears and mouth. Semi-bald with black hair, sideburns, moustache and curly beard. Round flesh coloured protrusion at back of head. The figure is wearing a small blue conical cap at the top of his head. Hands roughly carved, and flat with fingers extended, with red bracelets. Clothed in long plaid dark red, yellow and green skirt. Close-fitting jacket with long sleeves with wide purple graduating to thin diagonal purple stripes on an off-white background and with flowers in red, pink and green.

History Of Use

Javanese puppetry as an art form probably developed by the 11th century. The three-dimensional wooden wayang golek puppets of western Java, which are to be distinguished from the earlier and more sacred wayang kulit shadow plays puppets or other forms, appeared during the 16th century. Originally the plays depicted Javanese mythology, but after the Indian conquest of Java the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, were incorporated into the cycles, which comprise about 200 plays. An individual or group hires a dalang (puppet-master) to celebrate important occasions. The performances often last all night and are generally presented in three acts, with vocal and instrumental accompaniment. The individual plays vary widely in detail but usually involve conflict between good and evil. They serve a moral and religious purpose, and more recently, one of political commentary. Each puppet's character is represented by its appearance and placement onstage; protagonists with strong elements of good are placed to the right, antagonists of violent or evil nature to the left. Ogres and demons appear in the plays cycles as antagonists - the destructive force of evil. As such they are wild and unpredictable. The buta class can be found in almost every play, but they have few formally defined forms and vary widely.