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Description

Rod puppet of Rahwana, a giant with ten faces. TThe puppert's faces are on a detachable head (part a). The primary face is red, with a sharp upturned nose, piercing blue eyes surrounded by painted decoration, and an open mouth showing the upper teeth and two long pointed canine teeth. His beard and moustache are made of real hair. On his head is an intricate headdress with a diadem of gold, blue and white, with pompoms hanging in front of each ear, and a pointed centre portion showing the frowning face of a pink skinned man. On the back of the headdress is another carved face with pink skin, red eyes, and an open mouth, from which protrudes a long, curved, red tongue, a set of white upper teeth, and very long curved canine teeth. This face’s beard is a continuation of the real hair used on the red face. A sleeveless, beaded velvet cover drapes down both the front and back of the gold torso (part b). A matching apron ties at the waist and partially covers a long sarong that hides a wooden stick (part c) which extends up through the torso and into the puppet’s head to control its movement. The puppet’s gold arms are decorated with coiled serpents and bracelets and are moveable at shoulder and elbow by wooden sticks attached to each hand. Part d is a square wooden base that the torso stick of the puppet is inserted into to hold it upright.

History Of Use

Wayang golek, a rod puppet of Rahwana, a giant with ten faces, who could not die as long as he was in physical contact with the earth; a character from the Ramayana.