Leather Puppet

National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy

Title : Leather Puppet

Accession No : 66/7/4260 (6)

A leather puppet depicting a profile face is shown here with a decorative turban. The head ornament is heavily decorated. The face of the puppet is shown with large eyes, bold moustache, thick lips and long hair. One can spot heavy earrings in the ears and a neck ornament on the puppet.

Gallery

66742606A.jpg
66742606B.jpg
66742606C.jpg

Provenance

  • StateAndhra Pradesh

Condition

  • ConditionTorn
  • RemarksRestoration Required
  • Action NoteCNR

Contributor

  • Community / TribeRao-(Reddy)

Dimensions

  • Measurement (CMS)168 x 60
  • Weight (GRMS)0.00

Significance

  • Socio economicTholu Bommalata is a shadow puppet tradition of Andhra pradesh. The group of performers were usually a part of a group of entertainers and travellers who were continuously moving across villages during the entire year. They often sang ballads and narrated the Hindu epics and local folk tales. They often reeanacted various stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
  • ArtisticTholu Bommalata is considered unique for their large size. The puppets appear on the stage and a white curtain is set behind. The audience can only view the coloured shadows, but not the actual puppets through the light source.

Description

  • DescriptionA leather puppet depicting a profile face is shown here with a decorative turban. The head ornament is heavily decorated. The face of the puppet is shown with large eyes, bold moustache, thick lips and long hair. One can spot heavy earrings in the ears and a neck ornament on the puppet.
  • Inscription/Markings No
  • Reference"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tholu_bommalata "
  • KeywordPuppet, Thola Bommalata, Andhra, Face, Leather, Shadow, Portrait