Title
Opera face drawing of Jie Cai Ren (Embroidered Ball Catcher)
Creator
Year/Period
c. 1983
Region
China
Material
Dimension
Object size: Image: L5.8 x W4.1cm
Mount: L11.4 x W9cm
Accession No.
1994-00796
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr Ly Singko
This opera face drawing belongs to a collection drawn by Ly Singko. This collection documents the unique face designs from traditional Beijing opera and was included in Ly’s unpublished manuscript ‘How to Appreciate Peking Opera’, a guidebook for the “non-initiated and non-Chinese to come to know the secret of Chinese stagecraft.” In the past, maidens chose their husbands by tossing a colourful embroidered ball into a crowd of spectators. The man who catches the ball was then supposed to marry the maiden. Seen here is the face design of Jie Cai Ren (接彩人), who plays a clown role in the opera, is one of the men who wanted to catch the maiden’s ball.
