Javanese Shadow Puppet

Wayang Kulit, or Javanese shadow puppetry, probably originated sometime in the first century CE.  Puppets like the one above are brought out by professional storytellers on special occasions to give entertaining or didactic performances (or both).  Often, scenes from the Indian epics The Mahabharata or The Ramayana are depicted.

Each puppet is hand carved from buffalo hide, with details like hair and build indicating class standing.  The intricate carving is picked out in sharp relief when the puppet is backlit against a screen.  The delicate features are as complex and intricate as the stories the puppets tell, blurring the boundaries between sculpture and performance art.

It kind of reminds me of the scene from the latest Harry Potter movie with the Tale of Three Brothers:

So fantastic.  Harry Potter the movie finally manages to deliver in style.