Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Unknown
"Golek Puppet (Male), " Wood & Cloth created by Indonesia circa 1900

circa 1900

About the Item

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 26" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets are carved out of light, soft wood. The head of the puppet is the most important part, and that is the most intricately carved section of each puppet. The puppeteer will often carve the face of a bird into the back of the puppet's headdress.Once the head is carved, the waist and torso are then carved.After the head and torso have been created, a hole is drilled from the neck to the bottom of the trunk where a large wooden rod is placedThe head is then mounted on the top of the wooden rodThe arms are then carved into two sections: shoulder to elbow, and hand to elbow Wayang Golek performances take place on special events: weddings, religious ceremonies or cultural days. Performances usually begin at 9:30pm and last until 4:30am in the morning. A puppet troupe may be hired by an individual, a family or an entire village for a particular special day. A puppet troupe can consist of up to 30 people who are all directed by the dalang. The dalang is the puppet master that organizes the entire troupe: he is referred to as a master musician, an epic storyteller, a comic wonder and even a deep philosopher. Some dalangs even have the power to perform exorcisms! Dalang's are also similar to a spiritual guide: they tell epic tales about gods and goddesses and other spiritual beings: they are similar to a priest, a reverend or any other type of religious leader. A Wayang Golek Dalang operates puppets in front of a crowd. The Dalang sits on a raised platform in the centre of a crown of people. He can operate several puppets at once by using an ingenious device called: the banana log. The banana log is a long, rectangular and has several holes drilled into it. It is used to stabilize puppets so that the Dalang can operate more than one puppet at the same time. Puppet training begins usually at the age of 10-12, and the young puppeteer often trains with a relative.
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1900
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 5 in (12.7 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 1158d1stDibs: LU60532567801

More From This Seller

View All
"Indonesian Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade Carved, Painted Wood & Fabric c. 1900
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 27" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade with Carved Painted Wood & Fabric from Indonesia
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 27" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Indonesian Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade Carved, Painted Wood & Fabric c. 1900
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 28" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Indonesian Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade Carved, Painted Wood & Fabric c. 1900
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 26" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Indonesian Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade Carved, Painted Wood & Fabric c. 1900
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 20" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Indonesian Golek Puppet (Male), " Handmade with Carved, Painted Wood and Fabric
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 28" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Wood

You May Also Like

Village of Iseh, Bali (1948)
By Theo Meier
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Theo Meier (1908-1982) View of the Village of Iseh, painted from the house of Theo Signed and dated 48 Theo Meier lower left Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 50 cm In original frame carved by the artist. Note: Theo Meier arrived in Bali in 1936 with the intention of going on to Tahiti where he had been before. However Bali turned out to be the paradise he had been searching for in his dreams and he had no desire any more to move elsewhere. Bali at that time was still a very traditional place where society lived according to an acient religious system and in a luscious tropical setting the modern world was ignored. Here he met Walter Spies...
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Rosewood, Oil

Artist's Palette - unique mixed media work (from the Estate of Met Museum EVP)
By Jane Hammond
Located in New York, NY
JANE HAMMOND with ARDEN MASON (Jane Hammond is a renowned contemporary artist and Arden Mason is a celebrated 'plein air" painter) Artist's Palette (from the Estate of Ashton Hawkin...
Category

Early 2000s American Impressionist Mixed Media

Materials

Fabric, Oil, Mixed Media, Sailcloth, Chalk, Paper, Wood, Plastic

Nook, Mixed Media Sculpture
By Hans Van Meeuwen
Located in Boston, MA
Nook, Mixed Media Sculpture by Dutch artist Hans Van Meeuwen. Artist Commentary: One side of the book is much longer that the other. One physically and metaphorically cannot close ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Fabric, Fiberglass, Mixed Media, Wood

Serge Bernier Reading, mixed media sculpture
By Hans Van Meeuwen
Located in Boston, MA
Serge Bernier Reading, mixed media sculpture by Dutch artist Hans Van Meeuwen. Artist Commentary: We all go to school and acquire “big knowledge”. A...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media, Fabric, Fiberglass, Wood

Feminist Contemporary Mixed Media Wall Sculpture, Revisiting Androgyny 934
Located in New York, NY
Linda Stein, Revisiting Androgyny 934 - Feminist Contemporary Mixed Media Wall Sculpture This work from Linda Stein's Sexism series draws from the tradition of wunderkammer/cabinets...
Category

2010s Feminist Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Signal C14 - Abstract Multi-Dimensional Red Minimalist Sculptural Artwork
By Len Klikunas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Artist Len Klikunas paints to modify experienced reality through visual perception. His art is a mix of art and architecture, hovering between painting and sculpture. It employs shiz...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Post-Minimalist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Recently Viewed

View All