Shadow puppetry has been popular in China for more than 2,000 years. Invented to entertain Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, shadow plays were transported to Europe by travellers in the mid-18th century. There they were known as ombres chinoises (Chinese shadows) and were adapted to tell European stories. Puppeteer François Dominique Séraphin made them popular when he presented them in Paris in 1776, and by 1781 he was dazzling the court at the Palace of Versailles. Even Marie Antoinette admired his work.
Shadow play sets like this one used decorative paper puppets to cast short fables and fairytales. Later they were merged with other innovations, like magic lanterns, to project ghoulish phantasmagoria shows.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Previously on display
22 April 2019
ACMI Ground Floor
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
GF000224
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-01. Light and Shadow → MI-01-C02
Measurements
Overall display: 30 x 55 x 25 Puppet Dimensions Variable
Object Types
3D Object
Materials
paper, metal wire, translucid paper