A male shadow puppet (wayang kulit) of hide and horn, the white body outlined in red and painted gold and red to represent costume and jewellery; with a dark thin rod running the length of the body and two lighter rods attached to the hands to manipulate the arms.

Shadow puppet theatre has been an important form of artistic, social and political expression in South East Asia for many centuries. Puppets like this one, from Indonesia, are made from carefully painted animal hide. They are held between a light source and a screen to tell stories featuring gods, royalty and ordinary people.