Title
Wayang theatre garuda shaped brass oil lamp
Year/Period
Late 18th Century
Region
Indonesia - Java
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 56.5 x 42.0 x 54.5 cm
Accession No.
2019-00573
Collection of
This brass lamp in the form of the mythical garuda bird was casted, chiseled and engraved. Such oil lamps also known as a blencong, formed an essential part of a wayang kulit or shadow puppet performance and were suspended over the puppeteer’s (dalang’s) head behind the screen (kelir) to light it up so that the shadows of the leather cut-out puppets would be projected onto the reverse side of the screen – the side which faces the audience. This particular piece is more elaborate than most extant lamps cast in the form of a garuda.
