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Iconographic Meaning

Dodot, pants with kris indicate a patih, a political minister or advisor. Color of face and rich clothing suggest that this puppet may represent a character with alus (noble or refined) qualities; however, the large facial features, head posture, and eyes are kasar (evil). This puppet could be Gandamana, who appears in the Mahabharata cycle of plays in the role of a patih.

Cultural Context

Sacred theatrical performance.

Description

Puppet depicting a male figure. Facial features prominent and exaggerated. Face is pink, eyes and lips are red, moustache, eyebrows, and ears are black, and ketu is green with gold bands. The figure is shown wearing a loose-fitting green jacket and tight-fitting trousers with green, gold, and brown stripes. The hands, kris, and dodot are brown. The feet are spaced and wearing black shoes. The arms are movable, and each has a black control rod attached.

History Of Use

Javanese puppetry as an art form probably evolved by the 11th century. Originally the plays depicted Javanese mythology but, after the Indian conquest of Java, the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, were incorporated into the play cycles. The arrival of Islam in the 1500's introduced Muslim philosophy which can be found in some plays. There are four traditional play cycles: an animistic cycle of legends; the Ardjuna Sasru Bau cycle; the Rama cycle; and the Pandawa cycle. These comprise about 200 plays. There have been numerous topical plays but the traditional ones are most often performed. An individual or group hires a dalang (puppet-master) to celebrate important occasions: births, weddings, thanksgivings or rites of passage. Special animistic plays are sometimes performed as part of an exorcism ritual. The performances often last all night, presented in three acts with instrumental and vocal accompaniment. The individual plays vary widely in detail but usually involve conflict between noble heroes and their evil counterparts and demons. Each puppet's character is represented by its appearance and placement onstage. Dominant nature is shown in size, shape, colour, and symbolic stature; protagonists, with strong elements of good are placed to the right, antagonists of violent or unharmonious spiritual disposition to the left. The wayang klikit puppets are flat leather shadow puppets primarily for use in religious theatre, performed by a dalang who is more formally a priest. Leather puppets preceded the wayang golek; however, many symbolic elements remain the same. The form had its origins in southern India. Patih are common supporting characters throughout the wayang purwa; Gandamana appears in the Mahabharata cycle, which is concerned with the struggle between the Pandawa and Kurawa families. The mixed nature of Gandamana's character would place him among the antagonists, the evil Kurawa brothers and their allies, the ogres.