Marionette
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood, metal, plaster, wool and cotton.
Measurements
570 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 661551
Summary
One of the puppets made for and used by the ‘Lilliput Marionette Theatre’. This marionette was identified as the 'wicked step mother' and is from a play entitled 'Hansel and Gretel'. The marionette puppet does not have her control. She is made of wood with a painted face. The hands are metal covered with plaster and painted. She has metal loop and string joints at the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and waist. The legs are attached to the body with leather thongs onto a metal band. The knee and ankle joints are wooden swivel joints fixed with a metal pin. The face is moulded and painted with a long pointed nose, and a mouth with three teeth only. The sunken eyes have green and red painted eyebrows. The prominent cheek bones are painted pink. Two tufts of grey-blonde hair are visible beneath a navy cotton head shawl which fastens under her chin. She wears a grey silk like bodice which ends in a long ragged fringe. Over this she has three more bodices, one in blue chiffon, one in green chiffon and the top layer is dirty cream lace. These are all in very poor condition. Her dirty green woollen skirt has a ragged edge. She has dirty grey silk ragged sleeves. From her shoulders is a cream and yellow shawl in a dishcloth type material. Black and cream checked leather shoes with metal heel caps are on her plain wooden feet and legs. A new white cord is attached to her head by two rusty metal hooks. Attached to some joints are loose narrow black cotton strings. Overall she is in a very dirty ragged state with evidence of wood worm on her back.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mr E Hellawell in 1982.