Summary

Hand made marionette depicting an cat dressed as a clown. 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 cat dressed as a clown. Its head is a pre-made cat's head which has been painted like a clown's, in white with black and red detailing with blue and yellow painted eyes. His black hair is painted on. The paintwork is a little chipped and the head is slightly crushed at the back. He wears a jumpsuit made of a brown fabric with a floral design in green, yellow, orange, peach, pink, blue and cream. He has a green frill collar. His body has been constructed in a different style to the other marionettes as his limbs are made of rubber. His torso is also unusual, consisting of two oval pieces of wood, which form the shoulders and hips, attached by pieces of rubber. The clown's hands are also made of leather and have been painted white. The marionette's feet are painted red and do not have felt soles. He has a 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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