A Pair of Indonesian Wayang Golek Wood and Fabric Rod Puppets

A pair of traditional Indonesian Wayang Golek rod puppets originating from the Sunda region of West Java. Each puppet is constructed with hand-carved and polychrome painted wooden heads and torsos, featuring jointed wooden arms at the shoulders and elbows. These figures are representative of characters from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which serve as the narrative foundation for Wayang Golek theatre. The first puppet features a white-painted face with refined alusan features, including downcast eyes and a subtle smile, topped with a traditional gold, black, and red gelung headdress. It is dressed in a tan fabric bodice decorated with purple and green floral sequins and a brown and cream parang batik-patterned cotton sarong with pink tassels. The second puppet displays a blue-painted face with more pronounced features and a moustache, suggesting a warrior or deity character. This figure wears an elaborate red, white, and blue headdress, a red bodice with green sequins, and a cream-ground batik sarong with green tassels. Both puppets are mounted on a central wooden support rod and include two thinner rods attached to the hands for movement. The style of decoration, including the use of plastic sequins and specific beadwork, suggests a mid-to-late 20th-century production intended for the decorative market.

Dimensions not recorded.