Vintage Wayang Golek puppet HEAD ONLY, Indonesian Sudanese traditional

...decorative theatre puppet home decor A beautifully hand carved and painted wood rod puppet Head, as traditionally used in Indonesian / West Javanese puppet theatre. This is a head only, I do not have the body that once went with it. With small marks of age and use, including some scuffing and some paint flakes missing, and a crack on the base. The staining looks artificial, a practise that was common between 1950 and 1970. Perfect to use on a custom doll project, shadow box diorama or simply to put on display as-is. Size: 7 inches tall (18 cm) Dating back to the 16th century, Wayang golek were used to tell stories of Hindu epics, Javanese histories, and the Islamic Menmak cycle, which recounts the many adventures of Amir Hamzah, Muhammad’s uncle. The dalang, or puppet master, moved the puppets and spoke their parts, often set to the music of a gamelan orchestra. Performances took place in villages during holidays and festivals. This style of theatre has been designated by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage since 2003. Javanese wayang golek or rod puppets are carved from soft wood, with necks that can swivel and bodies clad in long cotton sarongs. Their headdresses, costumes and colours can indicate the puppets’ characters. White means purity, virtue and moral integrity and is often the face colour of princes. Red means aggressiveness and anger, while blue and green faces mean cowardliness and hypocrisy.