sage shadow puppet

Shadow puppet of a sage holding sacred scroll. From collection M. Mellons.

Shadow puppet theatre in India mainly derives from Hindu Epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata, and can be traced back to the 12th century. Epic characters include Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Ravana & Ganesha. Plays are also performed about social & political issues, for example promoting health programmes, at festivals, markets & religious ceremonies.The puppets are made from animal skin, which is dried, cleaned, scraped and beaten until it is thin & translucent, and then it is cut to shape. Separate sections form the head, neck, body & limbs. Wires attached to the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, waist and hands enable the puppets to be moved.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
HC.1999.1502
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 790 x 540 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
skin; wood; pigment
CATEGORY
Education Handling Collection: Anthropology
LOCATION
Hands on Base > Right Hand Archive > bay 6
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk