Toy shadow puppet theatre

Title	"Doña Experiencia. Farsa en un acto y en prosa para ser representada en el Teatro de Siluetas."
Manufacturer	Carlos Barral Nualart. Indústrias Gráficas Seix & Barral
Place	Barcelona (Spain)
Date	1919
Register	01166

Shadow puppet theatres, theatrines or paper theatres were typical toys among the upper classes of Victorian England. Later, more affordable versions were marketed, which helped their popularity. In Catalonia, Seix & Barral was the main manufacturer from 1915 to 1953, with a catalogue of ten models of theatres and twenty published librettos, which were sold both in Spain and in several European countries. This model was the only one for Chinese shadows and is especially prized, both for its uniqueness and because so few specimens are preserved. It is decorated in a more exotic way than the other models of theatres of the brand, with columns in the oriental style, geometric motifs and relief details reminiscent of those of ancient Mesopotamia. In the case of shadow theatres, the stage presents a screen and the figures are black silhouettes that were enclosed with the libretto inside an envelope. This moralising story was performed by five articulated silhouettes: Doña Experiencia, the lady, the knight, the sage and the rogue.

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