Rod puppet named Gatotkaca. The face is blue, with black decorations painted around the red eyes. A moustache and beard surround the red mouth. The puppet wears an intricate diadem, with a decorated hair curl that features the image of an eagle. On his back are finely cut wings, decorated with paint on the outside and sewn together at the middle. He wears a sleeveless top decorated with beads, and a matching apron with green ribbons that hang down the sides. A sarong is attached at the waist and hides a wooden stick that extends up through the torso and into the puppet’s head to control its movement. The arms are decorated with bracelets carved like birds, and are moveable at the elbows and shoulder by wooden sticks attached to each hand. The wooden stand (part b) is square and painted black.

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.

Bottle (torsyk) for horse milk or water made of cow's bladder and sewn with silk; embossed design.

Man's neck ornament composed of two narrow panels covered with dark gray and turquoise feathers (it looks like bird skins are sewn to cotton cloth); a front pendant with a hollow bird-bone flute flanked by two small bird bodies and long red Scarlet macaw feathers; and a smaller back pendant made of outspread bird wings surrounded by additional feathers. Each section is attached with a fiber cord. The bird bodies (Cotinga?) on the front pendant are small and flattened with attached feathers in purple, white, turquoise blue, black, gray, and red; the bird bodies are surrounded by six long red Scarlet Macaw feathers, which are decorated with disks of turquoise and dark blue feathers at the tips. The bird body on the back pendant has two outspread black wings, a turquoise feather disk and a small red feather, surrounded by additional blue, yellow and orange feathers. The ornament is worn during a male child's naming ceremony during which the flute is played. Condition: good; one of the turquoise feather disks on the long red Scarlet Macaw feathers is missing.

Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.

Brooklyn Museum Collection