This wooden rod shadow puppet was made in the late 1980’s in Indonesia. I bought it Jakarta.

It has a beautifully painted hand-carved face. The head, neck, upper body and arms are carved out of wood, then put on a carved wooden dowel. The head can swivel on the dowel and wooden sticks move her arms to replicate dances.  The joints are attached with string. A beautifully sequined and beaded black velvet top adorns her upper body and she wears a cotton batik skirt featuring a traditional Indonesian batik print.  It is 20“ tall. A collector's item.

This is a delightful decorative folk art piece.