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
20.31.25
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 cord by an unknown artist, this puppet stands approximately 9¼ inches (23.5 cm) tall. Gifted to the museum in 1920 by H. J. Tei, it exemplifies the intricate craftsmanship of traditional pi ying xi (shadow play), a folk art form that brought stories to life through silhouettes on a lit screen. Shadow puppetry, believed to have originated in China over two millennia ago, flo...