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Iconographic Meaning

Jing leading male archetype. Facial features and beard indicate the character's treachery.

History Of Use

The Chinese shadow figure body 3338/1 (pt a) is designed for interchangeable heads (3338/2-7). Each head represents one of the five common archetypes of the Yang saga: female protagonist, male protagonist, warrior (painted face), bearded man, and clown. This example is of the painted face male protagonist.

Specific Techniques

The cowhide is scraped extremely thin, which together with their jointed limbs, makes these puppets highly flexible when they perform high kicks, jumps, and flips. When performing, their distinctive designs and vibrant colours are visible on the glowing screen, enhancing the magical effects of the characters in motion.

Description

Shadow puppet head (painted face male protagonist character; Yang saga). Flat head made from semi-translucent cut, punched and painted hide. The face is cutout and outlined in black. He has wrinkles, large bushy brows, big round eyes and a long pointed black beard. He wears an ornate black headdress with red, green and yellow. The headdress is decorated with a large green pompom, a large red pompom and then many smaller pompoms as well as dragons. Two long red with yellow and green tassels extend down from the headdress. A long neck acts as a tab to insert into the collar of a body.