Antique Large Chinese Peking Opera Puppet (26 in) with Dragon Robe Late Qing

A large and colorful working Chinese puppet of a prince with hand painted features.

 

The puppet is wooden and jointed. The robe is a stiff oil cloth-like fabric which has been hand painted with designs of crashing waves, dragons and peacock feathers. The ferocious dragon has four clawed paws. The head has an elaborate headdress of pom poms, mirrors, and jewels. The wooden hands are hidden by strips of white cloth. The paddle for controlling movements is made from bamboo and has holes for string attachments. The many strings are gold colored silk and attach to different points on the puppet. It must have taken a real puppet master to control his movements well.

 

 

26” (66.0 cm) long x 26” (66.0 cm) wide (with arms outstretched) x 3 ¾” (9.5 cm) deep. Weighs 1 lb 9 oz (700 g)

 

 

The strings are still somewhat twisted but I found no breaks. There are stains on the fabrics. The white sleeves are particularly dingy. There are cracks and dents in headdress, but it is complete. There is wear to the face and it now has only traces of pink cheeks. The eyes show small paint losses. The pom poms are dingy too.

 

A very large decorative puppet that will add to a collection or be used as a distinctive decorator accent. We had it sitting in a chair watching over the room.