Traditionnal shadow puppet of a man with complete original costume and hands, headdress with moving elements, 32 cms. Sha'anxi

Puppet of a Mandarin. Beautiful costume ( dragoon), part of headdress mobile ,
Old native repairs with metal at the left leg, some old leather's ties (see pix), Sha'anxi. 19th C. 31 cms

For centuries, before there was electricity, throughout Asia, Puppetry Arts were a popular form of traveling entertainment... A platform with a cloth screen, lit from the back by candlelight, provided the stage.... The shadow images were black against the white "background". Hence, the puppets had a minimum of color and only the necessary intricate cut outs for personality as they were sometimes presented to the audience with the "handlers" after a performance...

Chinese glove puppet depicting a man with bright opera face paint and long beard that appears to be horse hair dressed in a heavily sequined pale yellow robe with red fur accents. The legs are covered in red and white checkered trousers. Painted wood face, shoes, and hands. Measures about 18" long. Possibly dates from the early 20th century. Very good overall condition with minor wear and soiling from use...

Very old Chinese Shadow Puppet of a General; very thick water buffalo leather. Beautiful headdress with animal and complete original costume.
Old native repairs with leather and metal in headdress, neck and banner (see pix) ; 33 cms. Sha'anxi, 19th C. or before.

Sometimes assumed by Westerners as "medical models" these are Chinese fertility dolls. As ritual items, they rarely come onto the market. Used by several Chinese ethnic minority cultures, including the Miao, Yao and Naxi, the old fertility dolls were hand carved, anatomically correct and with pegged and jointed limbs. The hair styles and head gear would vary depending on the minority group...

Chinese Group of Stoneware Puppetheads and hands on iron stands, 19th century, charming characatures of daily life in China done in earthtones and shades of blue. Round holes of attachment at lower ends of pieces. Hollow cores. Head Sizes range from 6.75"H to 8.5"H without stands, Losses to various heads and hands