Shadow puppet of a horse (Sbek Poa)

Historical period(s)
19th century
Medium
Animal skin
Dimensions
H x W: 87.3 x 82 cm (34 3/8 x 32 5/16 in)
Geography
Cambodia
Credit Line
Gift of Joyce and Kenneth X. Robbins
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1989.18
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Toy and Entertainment
Type

Shadow puppet

Keywords
Cambodia, horse, puppetry
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Called Sbek Poa or Sbek Por (Sbek: leather; Poa/Por: color), Cambodian shadow puppets are rare and their original performance contexts are not well known. Shadow puppet performance traditions are much more prominent in Indonesia, where they have been used in contexts ranging from village to court settings.

This puppet represents a horse.

Published References
  • Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins. Indo-Asian Shadow Figures. vol. 13, no.5 Kowloon, Hong Kong. p. 73.
Collection Area(s)
Southeast Asian Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
F|S Southeast Asia
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