Summary

Hand made marionette depicting a goblin, which has since lost its costume. It was manufactured and operated in Melbourne by Alex and Murray Smith, who performed as part of Le Forgeron Marionettes from 1930 until 1956.

Physical Description

Marionette depicting a goblin, which has lost it's costumes, so displays the way in which the marionette were constructed. The torso is constructed of stuffed fabric and at the base there is a piece of wood which the legs are attached to. The legs are wooden and attached at the hip and the knee with stiff blue fabric to form a type of hinge. A piece of metal has been wrapped around the top of the calves and nailed there. His calves have been painted white and his feet red. His felt soles are intact. The goblin's arms are fabric with small pieces of cylindrical wood inside, which have been sown to the torso. His hands appear to have been glued to the fabric at the bottom of the arm and are painted a peach/pink colour. He has a piece of synthetic peach fabric which has been sown to his chest, perhaps the beginning of a costume. The back of his head has been painted black and all his hair has been removed. There are a few chips to his papier mache facial features; the paint has cracked in parts; and is quite grimy. He has small lengths of string attached above his knees and on his hand. He does not have a mechanism.

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