Sheet 13 of figures for Chinese shadow puppets

Art Historical Context

This intriguing woodcut, titled *Sheet 13 of figures for Chinese shadow puppets*, was created in 1859 by Spanish artists Juan Llorens and José Taulo. Measuring 12 3/8 × 17 1/8 inches, it served as a matrix—likely a preparatory wood engraving block—for printing designs of traditional Chinese shadow puppet figures. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it captures the mid-19th-century European fascination with Asian performing arts, blending technical precision with cultural curiosity. Chinese shadow puppetry, a vibrant folk tradition dating back centuries, uses translucent leather figures manipulated behind a lit screen to tell epic stories. This sheet features an array of characters—men, women, horses, and carriages—rendered in intricate outlines ideal for puppet fabrication. Wood engraving, a refined 19th-century technique, allowed for fine details in mass-produced illustrations, making such exotic designs accessible to Western audiences through books and ephemera. As part of the Max G. Wildnauer Fund collection, this print highlights the global exchange of artistic ideas during the Victorian era. Visitors can appreciate how it bridges Eastern theater heritage with Western printmaking innovation, offering a window into a performative world of shadow and light.