Summary

Hand made marionette depicting a green dragon. 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 green dragon, whose body is made of rubber which has been attached to two circular pieces of wood where the legs join the torso. He is covered in a lime green, satin type fabric, with green sequin 'scales' on his back. The dragon's pointy tail is made of wood and has been painted green. Over this, some reddish-brown paper has been stuck which shines in the light. His legs and feet are also wooden, constructed in the same style as the human marionettes. They are padded and have been covered in the same lime green fabric and have scales drawn or painted on in black. Nailed over the felt-soled feet are large claws (three on each foot) constructed from rubber. The dragon's head is made of wood and plaster and has been painted green. His eyes and eyebrows have been formed by sticking on pieces of red and green shiny paper. The dragon's lower jaw is not attached to the main part of the head, it is a separate piece. This enables it to open and close its mouth with the aid of a string which comes through the top of his nose. His facial paintwork is cracking and has a few chips in it. The roof of his mouth exposes the wood underneath, looks like chipboard. The green dragon has mechanism which consists of one piece of wood.

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