Summary

Hand made marionette depicting a male guard. 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 guard, which is clothed in a red jacket with a black belt and green pants, which have some small holes in them. There is frayed gold fabric decoration on his shoulders. His black boots are painted on. He carries a shield made of gold painted plywood with gold plastic decoration, which includes a female's profile. The guard also bears a staff, which is made of a tall cylindrical piece of wood with plastic gold ornamentation at the top. His hat is of woven synthetic green straw and remains predominantly intact, although quite out of shape. The Guard's facial paintwork is in reasonable condition, with minimal chipping. His black hair is disintegrating and has become detached from his chin and the left side of his face. His head is attached to his neck by a piece of wire, so his head bops around. There is a piece of wire protruding from the back of his shoulders. The guard has a three piece mechanism. There are operating strings attached to numerous parts of him, including his head, limbs and shoulders. The feet have been weighted

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