Handmade Vietnamese Wooden Water Puppet by Phan Thanh Liem of Hanoi, condition as photographed. Signed by Phan Thanh Liem. The cord at back lifts the arms.

It measures approx. 26cm tall to top of hair x 12cm across widest.

This is one of 7 people water puppets I have for sale, look good displayed together, happy to combine postage.

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnamese-water-puppetry-grows-in-stature/108846.vnp

Phan Thanh Liem was born to a family of seven generations that have been preserving water puppetry in Rach village, the northern province of Nam Dinh.

His grandfather, Phan Van Huyen, was a puppet craftsman and artisan and his father, the famous puppeteer Phan Van Ngai, created the mobile water puppetry stage. He also made “chu Teu” (a humourous farmer) puppet, which is displayed in France’s Louvre Museum.

Water puppetry is a traditional form that dates back to the 11th century Ly Dynasty. Villagers in the Red River Delta and other rice-growing regions in the north of Vietnam staged water puppet performances to celebrate the end of the rice harvest, religious festivals and other important occasions