Antique Burmese Puppet Head

The Burmese artists created the puppet made of wood of which mobilized with the help of the strings attached to the different parts of the puppet. By that way, they replaced the puppets to the living dancers and which allowed the performance more convenient and more animated. They are made of different woods according to the different characters. They measure less than one meter high. The manipulating of puppet is an art and skill of the puppeteer. A Burmese puppet play is like a ballet - a story told with music and dances. The themes of the puppet plays were drawn from historic legends, the ten great lives and the 550 Birth stories of Lord Buddha.

Puppet plays have also been used as a communication tool to voice ideas or concerns upward to the nobility or ruling government. Sometimes these comedy routines bring to light some serious political subject. Since the characters involved in breaching political protocol are often fools and merely puppets, then the political message or satire is permitted where the human puppeteer might not have the same freedom of speech outside of the play.

In China string puppet shows are also featured in a man's worship of the Jade Emperor on the eve of his wedding, and in similar ceremonies on the first birthday of a baby boy and the birthday of an elderly person. Marionettes often highlight the 'earth-thanking' ceremony conducted when inaugurating a temple or moving into a new house. On such occasions, the marionette performance is regarded not as entertainment but as a solemn rite in reverence of and in thanksgiving and supplication to the gods.

• Dimensions: 11"H x 4.5"W
• Weight: 27.00 oz