ID Number

Title

Item Name

Culture

Material

Date Made

Maker

Place Made

Date Owned

Owner

Acquisition Date

Source

Source

Measurements

Condition

Accession Number

History Of Use

Wayang kulit shadow play is over 1000 years old. It is thought to be derived from the leather shadow puppetry traditions of southern India, like tholu bommalata, which came to Java with the spread of Hinduism in the first millennium. In Java - part of the largely Islamic Republic of Indonesia - this highly distinctive form of shadow puppetry is valued as a pusaka, a sacred treasure of the royal court of Yogyakarta. They are inspired by the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as stories of the history and folklore of Java, with a local spin. The plays are performed to mark special occasions such as birthdays, marriages, and religious events. Wayang shadow puppetry was inscribed on UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008 (from Shadows, Strings & Other Things, 2019).

Description

Gareng shadow puppet character. Two dimensional, tall, thin man with articulated shoulders and elbows; arms have rods of horn from hands; another long, horn rod has central split and goes up height of puppet on both sides. Man is of a translucent skin with opaque painted decorations of shoes, bracelets, skirt, necklace, earrings, and facial features. Decorations are painted on both sides. Skirt is of a black and gold triangle design with red outlines; waist has a row of red and green alternating triangles above a row of green and gold triangles; fringe is in orange, blue, and white; another section of edging is orange and white with a gold vine design along it. Small tuft of dark hair protrudes upwards from back of head.