A Brief History of Puppetry
While the exact date of the birth of puppetry is elusive, history and legends lead us to conclude that puppetry has been around for centuries. In the fifth century B.C, Herodotius wrote of marionettes which were used in the Egyptian Festival of Osiris. A 12th century woodcut reveals two children playing with armed knights on strings and a 14th century manuscripts details two girls watching what appears to be a puppet show. By the 15th century there were elaborate puppet plays in churches in Europe. Often used to bring the nativity scene alive, stringed puppets became known as a “little Mary” or marionette.
Europe
Italian marionettes traveled as far as England and brought the tradition of commedia dell’arte and the spirit of ancient Roman festivals remained in many buffoon type characters.
Puppets generally appealed to common people but the 18th century brought puppetry into sophisticated private salons.
This long tradition of European puppetry continues to this day. Puppets are not merely children’s playthings but are worthy of intelligent plays, music and technology. Indeed, many countries have large financed puppet companies.
The East
Indian legend tells that Adi Nat (“first puppeteer) was born from the mouth...
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