African and Indonesian Puppetry

Culturally significant puppets from Africa and Indonesia, emphasizing intricate designs, traditional craftsmanship, and storytelling elements.

Shadow puppet Wayang Kulit, Java, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Power Figure: Male (Nkisi) 19th century Kongo peoples Central African power figures are among the ubiquitous genres identified with African art. Conceived to house specific mystical forces, they were collaborative creations of a Kongo sculptor and a ritual specialist (nganga). After an artist completed carving the wooden receptacle, the nganga filled it with powerful medicines (bilongo) that transformed it into an object capable of healing illness, settling disputes, safeguarding the peace, and punishing wrongdoers. Bilongo combines organic and inorganic substances chosen for their cultural significance that may include plant fibers, resins, stones, relics and pigments, among others. The rectangular mirror-covered box protruding from the abdomen and the overturned pottery bowl pierced with nails covering the head are the primary receptacles for these potent materials. The variously shaped blades inserted into the body are added by the nganga each time the figure's powers are called upo

Puppet (WayangKlitik)

Shadow puppet Wayang Kulit, Java, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Indonesian Shadow Puppet.

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Baladewa, from the set KyaiNugroho. Maker: Ki Kertiwanda Maker: Ki Bekel Prawirasucitra

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Joyosengoro, from the set KyaiNugroho. Maker: Ki Kertiwanda Maker: Ki Bekel Prawirasucitra

TOROS IBERICOS - 1956/58 - ESCULTURA EN BRONCE - 96 CM ALTURA. Author: ALBERTO SANCHEZ (1895-1962). Location: FUNDACION SANTANDER CENTRAL HISPANO. MADRID. SPAIN.

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Wisnu, from the set KyaiNugroho. Maker: Ki Kertiwanda Maker: Ki Bekel Prawirasucitra

Puppet (WayangKlitik)

Figure: Seated Male on Stool 18th-19th century (215+/-90 years) Dogon peoples This commanding figure positioned at the center of a circular stool is defined by the emphatic bilateral symmetry and formal clarity favored by Dogon sculptors. The composition is striking for the elegant integration of the figure and the structure of his seat that consists of two parallel discs joined by a central post and five carved supports. The vertical axis of the figures upper body is continuous with the stools central post. His sweeping elongated legs terminate in feet planted firmly on the surface of its base. These limbs curve outward at the level of the thighs echoing the slightly bowed structural elements that span the perimeter and feature a lizard carved in relief. The figures eyes are closed and his facial expression suggests a meditative state. He holds a percussive instrument in joined hands. A series of three bands encircle either one of his upper arms - a decorative motif that is repeate

Seated Figure Playing a Rasp 1 BCE-200 CE Nayarit state. Earthenware and pigment . Nayarit

Cupid with dog. Culture: British, Chelsea. Dimensions: 2 7/8 × 1 1/8 in. (7.3 × 2.9 cm). Factory: Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory (British, 1745-1784, Gold Anchor Period, 1759-69). Date: ca. 1765. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

A seated Indian. A separate figure from a Diorama of Gerrit Schouten, representing an Indian man, sitting on his squat, turned to the left. His right arm raised. A knife in his left hand.

China, Shanghai, Shanghai Museum, Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) Glazed Pottery Statue of a Heavenly Guardian

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Anoman, from the set KyaiDrajat

Enamel Qilin, Chinese Art

Lion figurine from the Tomb of Tutankhamen, 14th century BC. Artist: Unknown

Netsuke of an Arhat 19th century Japan. Netsuke of an Arhat. Japan. 19th century. Wood-polychromed. Edo (1615-1868) or Meiji period (1868-1912). Netsuke

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Bima, from the set KyaiDrajat

PITO O SIURELL BAÑADO EN CAL Y PINTADO - FIGURA DE MUJER. Location: ALFARERIA. SA CABANETA-MARRATXI. MALLORCA. SPAIN.

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Arjuna, from the set KyaiDrajat

Maker: Unknown, Female Figure withSkirt, Ceramic with pigment, 8.89 × 3.175 × 1.905 cm (3 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 3/4in.), Made in Tlatilco, Mexico, Mexico,Tlatilco, Early FormativePeriod, Sculpture

Seated Male Figure

Female Figure 10th century B.C. Tlatilco This solid, hand-modeled ceramic figurine is reddish tan to yellow in color and painted with an orange-red pigment. Featuring bulbous hips, a small waist, and diminutive arms, little regard is given to anatomical accuracy. A necklace conforms to the thick contours of the neck, and the central hair bun extends down the back of the head. Neither of the small perforations in the oversized ears continues to the backside. Sculpted some three millennia ago in the Valley of Mexico, this figurine belongs to a group of ceramic effigies known collectively as the Tlatilco "pretty ladies." Depicting females with large heads, small waists, and prominent hips, these handheld sculptures present a fairly standardized body type and are typically fired to red, buff, or brown tones. As the popular embodiments of an ideal feminine form, the Tlatilco "pretty ladies" are part of a centuries-long tradition in which eccentricities and religious imagery predominate. Fea

ESCULTURA. Author: Julio Gonzalez. Location: FUNDACION JUAN MARCH COLECCIÓN. MADRID. SPAIN.

Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Velleia, Statuette representing a putto, bronze

ESCULTURA-EL GRAN PROFETA- BRONCE CON PATINA DE HIERRO ENNEGRECIDO- H. 235- CM 1933. Author: PABLO GARGALLO (1881-1934). Location: MUSEO REINA SOFIA-ESCULTURA. MADRID. SPAIN.

Armored Guardian King (Tianwang) Trampling Demon 701 CE-750 CE China. Earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments .

CABEZA DE CABALLO DE POLLENTIA-ALCUDIA- MALLORCA-SIGLO I - ESCULTURA ROMANA. Location: MUSEO ARQUEOLOGICO NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN.

Estatua de Atenea del frontón con la Gigantomaquia que adornaba el llamado templo antiguo que se construyó en la Acrópolis de Atenas (525 A.C.). Museo Nacional de Atenas.

Olmec figure of a man half-skeleton. c. 500 BC. MEXICO.

Puppet (Wayang Klitik) of a Dutch Soldier orHolländer

Figure, one of a Pair, c. 1800, Niderviller Porcelain Manufactory, French, Niderviller, France, est. c. 1745, Tin-glazed earthenware, France, 18th-19th century

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Tangsen or Sahadeva, from the set KyaiNugroho. Maker: Ki Kertiwanda Maker: Ki Bekel Prawirasucitra

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Sembadra orSumbadra. Maker: Ki Enthus Susmono, Indonesian, 1966-2018

Model for a Proposed Monument to Commemorate the Invention of the Balloon ca. 1784 Clodion (Claude Michel) French The first successful ascension of the hot-air balloon was achieved by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. It lasted only ten minutes but was widely celebrated. By the end of the year, the French crown floated a proposed monument. Clodion was one of seven talented sculptors to compete. His airy Rococo flight of fancy-in which putti pile bundles of hay to launch the balloon, guided by Fame and propelled by Aeolus-is difficult to imagine in marble. Gradually, hot-air ballooning spread to the point of being commonplace, and the project was dropped.. Model for a Proposed Monument to Commemorate the Invention of the Balloon. Clodion (Claude Michel) (French, Nancy 1738-1814 Paris). French, Paris. ca. 1784. Terracotta. Sculpture

Hunchback ca. 1750 Mennecy. Hunchback. After an engraving by Jacques Callot (French, Nancy 1592-1635 Nancy). French, Mennecy. ca. 1750. Soft-paste porcelain. Mennecy. Ceramics-Porcelain

Figure. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm). Date: 17th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Armor (Gusoku) early 18th century Signed by Myōchin Munesuke Japanese All essential iron parts of this armor (gusoku) are signed by Myōchin Munesuke (1642-1726) who was a noted maker of ornate helmets and armor, known as one of the greatest masters of metal repoussé (hammered shapes).. Armor (Gusoku) 22154

Handle with the Head of a Goddess (Demeter or Cybele). Unknown

GUERREROS EN LUCHA FRAGMENTO DE ACROTERIO. Location: MUSEO DE ARTE ETRUSCO VILLA GIULIA. Rome. ITALIA.

Female Figure. Culture: Chupicuaro. Dimensions: H. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm). Date: 3rd century B.C.-A.D. 4th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Male character ". Porcelain. Dynasty of Song (960-1279). Paris, Cernuschi museum. 157046-25 Asian art, Chinese art, Song dynasty, male character, porcelain

Wayang Kulit, shadow puppet of Arjuna the legendary friend of the Hindu God, Krishna ; Indonesian late 19th century AD. Made from painted wood

Warrior Figure. Culture: Colima. Dimensions: H. 11 x W. 10 1/2 x D. 7 5/16 in. (27.9 x 26.7 x 18.6 cm). Date: 2nd century B.C.-A.D. 3rd century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Figure from reliquaries ensemble. From the Ondumbo people. Made from wood, copper and brass. From Gabon.

Figure, 1900s. Africa, Equatorial Africa, Cameroon, 20th century. Wood, glass beads, cloth, thread, and cowrie shells; overall: 50 x 13 x 10 cm (19 11/16 x 5 1/8 x 3 15/16 in.).

OBJETO DE BRONCE PROCEDENTE DE MEDINA ELVIRA - SIGLO X. Location: MUSEO ARQUEOLOGICO-ARTE HISPANOMUSULMAN. GRANADA. SPAIN.

Man holding flowers () ca. 1745 British, Staffordshire. Man holding flowers (). British, Staffordshire. ca. 1745. Salt-glazed agateware. Ceramics-Pottery

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) ofGatotkaca. Maker: Ki Enthus Susmono, Indonesian, 1966-2018

Embroidered Border Fragment 3rd-2nd century B.C. Nasca. Embroidered Border Fragment 308114

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Kalabendana, from the set KyaiDrajat

Picasso, Pablo (1881-1973). Woman in a Hat. 1963. Surrealism. Sculpture. Private Collection.

Minoan snake-goddess, 18th century BC. Artist: Unknown

ESCULTURA - MUJER ANTE EL ESPEJO (FEMME AU MIRROIR) - 1936. Author: Julio Gonzalez. Location: IVAM / INSTITUTO VALENCIANO DE ARTE MODERNO. Valencia. SPAIN.

weathervane, Gilt tôle, Chinese man astride a fantastic creature with a dragons head and roosters tail., France, ca. 1750, metalwork, Decorative Arts, weathervane

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka). Culture: Kongo peoples; Yombe group. Dimensions: H. 46 1/2 in. (118 cm), W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm), D. 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm). Date: 19th century.Central African power figures are among the ubiquitous genres identified with African art. Conceived to house specific mystical forces, they were collaborative creations of Kongo sculptors and ritual specialists. This example belongs to the most ambitious class of that tradition, attributed to the atelier of a master active along the coast of Congo and Angola at the end of the nineteenth century and identified with Mangaaka, the preeminent force of jurisprudence.That power was represented as a presiding authority and enforcing lord or king. Its crowning element is the distinctive mpu headdress worn by chiefs or priests. The figure's posture and gesture, leaning forward with hands placed akimbo on the hips, is the aggressive attitude of one who challenges fearlessly. Traces of a missing beard-a sign of sen

. De God Daikoku. Polychromated wood.

Figure of Dignity - Irish Mountain Goat. Artist: John Bernard Flannagan (American, 1895-1942). Dimensions: 53 3/4 x 14 1/8 x 8 3/4 in. (136.5 x 35.9 x 22.2 cm). Date: 1932. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Netsuke of Demon Attacking a Man 19th century Japan. Netsuke of Demon Attacking a Man. Japan. 19th century. Wood. Edo (1615-1868) or Meiji period (1868-1912). Netsuke

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of possibly Anyo Burisi, from the set KyaiDrajat

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Suwondo, from the set KyaiDrajat

Statue of Kaipunesut ca. 2528-2520 B.C. or later Old Kingdom Although archaeologists differ in their evaluation of the date of the tomb from which this statue originates, features of the decoration of the mastaba and of other stone statuary in the tomb indicate a possible date in mid-Dynasty 4 for this wooden statue and another in Cairo of Kaipunesut. The early date suits the semicircular eyes and elongated lips of the face. Few wooden sculptures are preserved from the fourth dynasty. Kaipunesut's belt is finely inscribed with his name and titles, the first being "Royal Carpenter." Perhaps he was involved with making his own fine wooden statues.. Statue of Kaipunesut 543998

Ifugao culture sculpture (anito), 19th century, wood, seed, metal, hair, fabric, rattan and straw, Anthropology National Museum, Madrid, Spain.

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Anolo, from the set KyaiDrajat

Mildred E Bent, Carousel horse, 1935 1942 Carousel horse

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Permadi, from the set KyaiDrajat

Frank Gray, Figurehead, c 1937 Figurehead

Josep Puig i Cadafalch / Pie de luz, detalle.

Shadow Puppet Head, 20th century, 5 in. (12.7 cm), China, 20th century

Idol from Cernovoda, Neolithic. Romania.

Figure Vessel 16th century () Huastec This vessel depicts a nude, pear-shaped male figure in a squatting position with both hands raised to either side of his large head. His fingers, indicated by incisions and paint, touch to form an "O" and each palm is pierced with a small hole. Covered with a base layer of yellow-buff slip, his corpulent, almost infantile body is decorated with an array of dark maroon lines, circles, and scalloped motifs representing body paint or tattoos. Like an animal seated on its haunches, the figure’s stout thighs and paw-like feet are drawn close to his flanks, framing his round belly and modeled genitalia.Viewed from the front, the vessel’s curved face obscures much of the open neck and short, shoulder-mounted spout of the jug. As the viewer approaches, however, the back edge of the central void gradually appears to fill the holes of his slackened mouth and hollow orbits, creating the illusion that the figure’s eyes roll backward in an ecstatic, trance-lik

Langenburg Castle, A heraldic coat of arms with black and gold elements and an eagle, Langenburg Castle, Langenburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

Scholar's Rock, early 19th century, 23 3/4 x 13 x 6 5/16 in. (60.33 x 33.02 x 16.03 cm), Steatite (carved in Taihu style), China, 19th century

Shadow Puppet. Java, Indonesia.

Goddess of the Serpents, from the Palace of Knossos, 1500 BC (faience), Archaeological Museum with most important finds of the Minoan culture, Heraklion, Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, Europe

Soochow. Soochow

Mochica Culture ceramic of a warrior, 3rd-8th c. AD, Peru.

ARTE IRANI-TRIPODE DE BRONCE. Location: MUSEO ARQUEOLOGICO NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN.

Demons on an Elephant with Adorant late 12th-early 13th century Cambodia The presence of demonic figures and of Nan Brah Dharani suggests that this plaque is part of a larger composition depicting Buddha, prior to his enlightenment, being attacked by the forces of Mara, the personification of illusion and evil.. Demons on an Elephant with Adorant. Cambodia. late 12th-early 13th century. Bronze. Angkor period. Metalwork

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Jembaran Muda, from the set KyaiDrajat

Figure of Fertility Goddess ca. 2700-2000 B.C. Baluchistan. Figure of Fertility Goddess. Baluchistan. ca. 2700-2000 B.C.. Terracotta. Ceramics

Judy, Painted wood, cotton, other materials, Red-faced long-nosed woman dressed in lace-edged cap, apron, coat and plaid dress., England, late 19th century, theater, Decorative Arts, Puppet, Puppet

TESORO DE TUTANKAMON - SARCOFAGO PARA VISCERAS - XVIII DINASTIA - 1325 AC - (parte trasera). Location: EGYPTIAN MUSEUM. KAIRO. EGYPT.

Cylinder Vessel with Ballgame Scene. Guatemala or Mexico, Maya, 600-900 CE. Ceramics. Slip-painted ceramic with post-fire pigment

Shadow player 19th century China. Shadow player 73286

Przeszo Przyszoci Meyer, Friderich Elias

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of Sagopi, from the set KyaiNugroho. Maker: Marto Suwondo Maker: Ki Kertiwanda Maker: Ki Bekel Prawirasucitra

Dancer (one of a pair) ca. 1758 Höchst Manufactory. Dancer (one of a pair). German, Höchst. ca. 1758. Hard-paste porcelain. Ceramics-Porcelain

Fragment from the Backplate of an Icon. Culture: Nepal (Kathmandu Valley). Dimensions: 5 x 2 7/16 in. (12.7 x 6.2 cm). Date: 16th century.This openwork panel depicts a mélange of fantastic animals riotously placed in foliage, one upon the other: an elephant on a rocky mountain, a lion standing on his back, above a rhinoceros-like creature with bull's head, ridden by a demigod. The beaded strapwork frame has a makara, a fantastic sea creature, as its terminal. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

African Statue Curio

Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) ofIswara

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Shadow Puppet (Wayang Kulit) of HyangNarada

Overseer Shabti of Nany. Dimensions: H. 9.5 × W. 3.5 × D. 2.2 cm (3 3/4 × 1 3/8 × 7/8 in.). Dynasty: Dynasty 21. Reign: reign of Psusennes I. Date: ca. 1050 B.C..See 30.3.27.1a, b. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Fairy Figure: He Xiangu. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Portrait of Johan Maurits 1604-1679, Count of Nassau-Siegen, full length, Jan van Logteren, 1727

detail from the statue of Augustus Prima Porta from the Villa Livia; near Rome 20 B.C. The statue has been coloured to approximate its' original style

Tauromorph sarcophagus. Avenc de la Punta (Pollensa, Majorca).. ca. 310-110 BC, rebuilt, pollensa museum, Spain.

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