Red and black lacquered wooden head of a puppet depicting Guandi, the God of War, Business and Literature. He has a ferocious expression on his face and wears an openwork crown decorated with two dragons facing a Yin Yang symbol. At the back of his head is a grip which the puppeteer would hold during performances. The three holes in his chin originally held tufts of hair. The puppet head was made around 1830 during the Daoguang period (1820 – 1850) and was acquired in Macau. Height without stand 30 cm. Width 14 cm. Depth 13 cm.