Shadow puppet, Rangda

Title
Shadow puppet, Rangda
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Bali, Indonesia
Dimension
Object size: H 52.5 cm
Accession No.
XXXX-05359

This puppet represents Rangda in the Balinese 'wayang kulit' or leather shadow puppet theatre tradition. She is a witch-widow and Queen of Black Magic.The majority of the 'wayang kulit' plays performed are drawn from the two great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as local stories. 'Wayang kulit' in Bali is principally performed in temples as part of a religious ceremony. In recent years, new forms of the ‘wayang kulit’ have been created in an effort to further enrich the art form.