The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

By exchange

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Wayang kulit (shadow puppet) of gunungan (mountain) or kayon (tree of life). One side of the object shows a set of white stairs leading up to the closed double doors of a small temple. Guarding the doors at either side are two golden skinned, blue faced creatures (raksasa) holding maces. Their faces are fierce, with red eyes and sharp teeth in grinning mouths. To either side of the temple’s roof are the faces of dragons, with red eyes and mouths, sharp golden teeth, and feathered brows. At top is the head of a purple demon that wards off evil spirits. Above it is a golden Tree of Life full of monkeys, birds, flowers, and a serpent wrapped around the trunk. A tiger and water buffalo face each other at the tree’s bottom. On the other side of the object is a large blue demon’s head with open red mouth and white teeth. It is surrounded on all sides by yellow and red flames. The leather of the object is pierced through with patterns that create delicate lacy designs intended to allow light to shine through. The puppet is held firm by a long smooth handle made of polished horn.

Two-dimensional shadow puppet. The human-like figure is identical on both sides. It has white skin painted with sparse black hairs, round red eyes, an open, bearded red and gold mouth, and bared gold teeth. The hair is black and curled, and contains a gold headdress. The figure wears a checked and decorated garment that sits at the hips and falls to the floor. His legs are bare, with small colourful serpents wound around the ankles. The arms are encircled by elaborate bracelets at wrists and above elbows, and each hand has fingers as well as a large red and pink claw. A long white tail, decorated with several bracelets begins at the puppet’s hip and winds up to the top of its head. The leather of the puppet is pierced decoratively, especially throughout the hair, to allow light to shine through. Horn handles hold the puppet at the middle and move its fully extendable arms.

Antaboga kulit shadow puppet. The creature’s face is pink, with partially closed eyes, a long snout, and an open red mouth with many sharp teeth and a thin black forked tongue. A golden headdress is attached to his forehead and a gold and white necklace surrounds his neck. The body is long and curved, eel-like, with no appendages, and ends with a golden tip on the tail. The object is painted the same on both front and back. The puppet is held up by a thin unpainted wooden handle attached at the bottom.

A shadow puppet in the shape of a tiger (Hari Mau kulit). The puppet is painted both front and back in brown with black tiger stripes. The mouth is open, showing large bared gold teeth and red gums. The eyes are heavily lidded, and have pronounced lashes. The features of the face- eyes, mouth, nostrils and jaw, are emphasized by close-set piercings through the leather. The figure crouches in a pounce position, with long, splayed gold claws on front and back feet.

Gift of Edna Ebling

Native American artists Marcellus and Elizabeth Toya Medina and Kevin Pourier create works inspired by both old and new art forms. The painted designs on the water jar of classic Pueblo shape combine traditional masked Kachinas in static poses with naturalistic, muscled, male Pueblo dancers who seem to burst off the vessel’s surface. The inlaid buffalo-horn spoon, a traditional Plains implement, is given a contemporary twist in Pourier’s homage to M. C. Escher’s hypnotic prints.

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund