skuggspelsdocka, wayangfigur, wayang kulit

Shadow game doll of untanned leather, from cow or water buffalo. The doll is mounted in a wooden rod that has been cleaved, which handles a shorter rod of horns attached to the wooden rod. The doll’s arms, which can be bent at the shoulder and elbow, are operated by narrow wooden rods attached to each hand. The doll imagines according to the general catalog Prabu Megada. The doll is not more closely identified. Clothing suit: Megada wears candi utama, a headdress associated with religious status and royal honesty. Candi utama indicates the highest castes and gods in the wayang. He is dressed bulat biasa mecingcingan; an elongated piece of cloth, wastra, swept around the waist and up between the legs, some hanging down behind one leg. The bulat biasa mecingcingan is worn only by a few satriyas. He is richly adorned, on the back of the headdress there is a bird’s head, garuda mungkur, which is a sign of supernatural power. On his back sits a chelated bau, a wing seen only on gods and high Satriyas. On each arm are two pairs of bracelets, gelang kana. Body and features: The eyes are round (bale: dedelingan) as is the nose. The teeth are small and even; even teeth (bale: untu asat) associate to ritual purity and to a civilized person. The hands are in saro-mudra (arrow-mudra). Colors: The body color is light orange brown. The orange brown colour is a combined colour, unlike the base colours. When base colours are mixed, they retain the characteristics with which they are associated. The body colour is an expression of the character of the figure and the combined colours thus combine the characteristics of the base colours. Brown is a hot (bale: panes) color. Hot colours are associated with fire (which brings concern, mismatch and fighting), lack of self-control etc. Source: Hobart. A. 1987. The dimensions given apply with the doll’s arms folded out. (NS)