Indonesian (Javanese) Wayang Puppet "Anjani Tioo" (?)

Java, 1900. Very Good. A fine Wayang puppet, of a character whose name, based on a small hand-written sticker on the central rod, is something like Anjani Tio. We don't know what the back story of this character is, or even whether this puppet represents a character with this name or another. What is clear is that the puppet is entirely made by hand. We do not claim to possess the expertise to date this specimen of Folk Art with great precision. It could be nineteenth century or early 20th century, and thus we arbitrarily give it a date of 1900. It is unquestionably superior to the chaff produced in more recent decades as commercialism has corrupted the practice of traditional Folk Art. The puppet is large. The figure itself, not including the long wooden support and handle, and with the free arm fully retracted -- closest to the body, it is 38 cm tall. It has two rods to manipulate the arms, plus the central thicker rod to hold up the puppet as well as provide it with solidity. The puppet would have been a character in Wayang Kulit performances, which used two dimensional puppets made of leather, as opposed to another traditional type that had three dimensional puppets made of wood. The puppets were manipulated behind a screen, with the audience watching the puppets' shadows. This might be surprising given how our puppet is so meticulously painted. WIthin the Indonesian archipelago Wayang Kulit hailed from Java, The puppet shows, to the accompaniment of gamelan music, dramatized scenes from mythology and Hindu epics. Going back centuries, they were put on at all kinds of events, including religious rituals, and later, as you would guess, they were mounted for the tourist trade. Our puppet may well have also been made specifically for the tourist market. That said, the intricate cutting and painted detail, the two integrated into one another, are impressive -- this is not souvenir kitsch. In terms of conditiion, the leather is warped here and there, the paint sometimes flecked, soiled, etc., but not significantly. The primary rod at its base in attractively turned and has a pretty translucence. (Inventory #: 20323)