Puppet, Hand

Puppet, Hand

A and B. Chinese hand puppet probably from Taiwan. A: Painted carved wooden head face painted bright yellow green eyes red mouth white teeth two vertical red stripes between the eyes up the center of the forehead. Black coarse hair falling below the shoulders heavy eyebrows moustache and beard of synthetic hair. A crown of four stiffened doubled over loops of 1" wide grey cotton fabric trimmed with gold and red braided cord decorated with blue plastic beands. In the top center of the forehead is a cluster of five pink beads. At each side of the head are pink plastic beads strung on wire curved down from the side of the head then up above the top of the head at the end of which are tassels grey on the right side brownish pink on the left. The head is mounted on a conical hollowed out piece of wood painted yellow to which is fastened a muslin body to which are attached carved wooden hands painted white and two tubes of floral pattern grey fabric stuffed and fitted with carved wooden feet painted black with white soles. B: Over the body is a robe of black silk(?) fabric lined with muslin. The robe is tied at the neck with blue ribbon. Robe decorated with star shaped patterns of gold and silver threads with sequins. Gold-colored braided cord fringe. Center front: 2 decorated strips of gold brown tape.

1992.050.002