Theatre of shadow

Theatre of shadow	Theatre of shadow

The Theatre of shadows is a ritualistic, narrativistic visual art that originated in Asia within the last 1,000 years. It depicts tales of religious themes using two-dimensional marionettes made of carton or metal, projected by the means of lamplight through a white parapet. The custom was common in China and India, and (probably via Indian gypsies) arrived to Turkey where it reached its highest form in the 16th century. It became known across the Ottoman empire.
Shadow theatre was also brought to Europe from China in the 18th century by a French missionary, and cutting paper silhouettes became a fashionable pastime.The original puppets were solid and monolithic, and were controlled by a wooden stick. Later they were broken into body parts, which were assembled with joints to grant them more lifelike movements. Camel skin was commonly used because it was transparent and allowed drawn details and colours to be seen through the parapet.