Shadow Puppet

Item number 1568/5 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Two-dimensional painted puppet of an ornately dressed man (Sultan, Hamengkubuwono IX) wearing a hat. Long, translucent yellow-brown carved sticks are attached to both hands with a third, tapering stick running up the figure's left leg and chest, ending in a looping reverse curve over the figure's ear. Both arms have movable joints at the elbows and shoulders.

History Of Use

This character is a Javanese Sultan, from a Javanese shadow puppet tradition called Wayang Suluh, which was introduced in 1947 by the Ministry of Information. These are identical to Wayang Kulit, except the characters are all contemporary people, such as farmers, teachers, sultans and officers. Wayang suluh plays were used to convey nationalistic and moral messages during the Indonesian revolution against Dutch colonial rule. The visual dialogue between these figures captures an act of confrontation: Sultan, Hamengkubuwono IX (b. 1912; in office 1940-1988), in his peci (cap) and regalia, confronts the colonial past: a Dutch military official, with antiquated neck ruffle, who carries a sabre (See 1374/26). Indonesia achieved independence in 1949.