A pair of vintage shadow puppets depicting male characters, Java, mid-20th Century, made from delicately cut and hand-painted buffalo hide and gilded, the handles and control rods in carefully turned wood. Both about 26 1/2 in (67.2 cm). Both well-preserved and were used in the theatre, not crafted for sale to tourists. Shadow puppetry or Wayang has a rich tradition in South East Asia dating back a thousand years or so with much effort and artistry applied to the creation of the various characters that were used in performances. Wayang kulit or shadow puppets are the best known of the Indonesian Wayang. Kulit means skin, and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn or wood handles and control rods. The stories that are performed are drawn usually from the Hindu epics such as the Ramavana, the Mahabharata or from the Serat Menak. Ex West Los Angeles private collection, acquired in the 1960's.

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