Chinese Wire and Cloth Doll kimona Woven of sweetgrass and ash

Woven of sweetgrass and ash splint naturally dyed a dark brown

in which Punch (Punchinello) was the trickster figure or "lord of misrule"--which this puppet surely conveys

marked sterling on back

MA that included fine objects from around the world

they can be worn as simple silver diamond shapes

Chinese Wire and Cloth Doll kimona Woven of sweetgrass and ashOh, so lovely! I don't know a lot about this doll, but I am pretty certain it is Chinese, and perhaps a "Chinese Opera" doll, which from what I understand were sold at Chinese opera performances as momentos, and often also then converted into puppets for use re enacting the operas. From what I can tell, the body is made of wire covered with cloth, such that the arms and legs can be manipulated some. I'd guess the head as well as the boots are made of