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Cultural Context

Theatrical performance.

Description

Three-dimensional male humanoid figure (part a); large head (part b) and jointed arms attached to controlling rods. One single rod is pointed (part c). White face positioned downwards, with very straight pointed nose, red lips, white teeth. Hair, facial details, eyes outlined in black. Upswept curl (gelung supit urang) headdress in black, with gold diadem and lungsen defining frontal area. Large gold sumping on curl. Red and green decorations. Gold neck; black upper torso and arms, each with green, white, red and orange ornaments at wrist and bicep. Hands held flat and bent back at wrist. Black chest covering and apron with white wavy trim, and wrapped wire and sequins decorations patterned as a cross. Apron has black waistband and long yellow fringe at bottom. Long batik skirt in beige, blue, red, lavender, and orange.

Iconographic Meaning

Each puppet is characterized by its wanda, a Javanese word which describes the specific mixture of elements of size, form, colour, ornamentation and carving. Position, colour, and delicate features of face indicate character has qualities of nobility, youth, and virtue. Headdress, arm ornaments, and position of hands, as well as batik, indicative of high nobility. Character identified as Aradea, particularly by headdress. However, variations in facial colour, moustache.

History Of Use

Javanese puppetry as an art form probably developed by the 11th century. Wayang golek puppets of western Java 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. A dalang (puppet master) performs the plays to celebrate important occasions, usually in three acts, with vocal and instrumental accompaniment. Typically they serve a moral and religious purpose, and more recently, one of political commentary. Aradea is a king (prabu) found in the Mahabharata cycle of plays. The variations of the puppet suggest it may be varied to portray Aradea in a different state, such as youth, in meditation, or other moods.