A very fine and beautifully crafted old Shadow Puppet of the Tree of Life, the Gunungan , which is the most important puppet in Javanese theater.The Iconography of this shadow puppet is quite impressive, featuring birds, a tiger, a Bull, Garuda heads, twin guardians and of course the lotus plant which evolves into a Banyon, or Tree of life. Please note how the puppet has been painstakingly cut out of a buffalo hide, every single detail has been cut so when shown against a back drop screen, the shadow of the puppet is cast upon the screen in great detail. The other face of the puppet represents destruction and death, symbolized by fire, flames and lava, which go out from the volcano's mouth. In a wayang performance, a gunungan normally marks the beginning, the end, and pauses between important scenic transitions. This is generally marked by placing the gunungan at the center of the screen. This Puppet measures 40 x 17 inches. Field collected by Ira Marks prior to 1984.

Good/fair