Shadow player
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Donkey skin, cord
Dimensions
H. (approx.) 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
Classification
Leatherwork
Culture
China
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of H. J. Tei, 1920
Accession Number
20.31.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the enchanting world of Chinese shadow puppetry with *Shadow Player*, a delicate 19th-century leatherwork figure from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection Crafted from translucent donkey skin and articulated with cord, this approximately 9¼-inch (23.5 cm) puppet stands as a testament to an ancient folk art form that captivated audiences across rural China. Gifted to the museum in 1920 by H. J. Tei, it evokes the lively performances where puppeteers manipulated figures behind a lit screen to cast dramatic shadows. Chinese shadow play, or *pi ying xi*, emerged over a ...