Antique Large Chinese Peking Opera Puppet (26 in) with Dragon Robe Late Qing

A large and colorful working Chinese puppet of a prince with hand painted features.   The puppet is wooden and jointed. The robe is a stiff oil cloth-like fabric which has been hand painted with designs of crashing waves, dragons and peacock feathers. The ferocious dragon has four clawed paws. The head has an elaborate headdress of pom poms, mirrors, and jewels. The wooden hands are hidden by strips of white cloth. The paddle for controlling movements is made from bamboo and has holes for string attachments. The many strings are gold colored silk and attach to different points on the puppet. It must have taken a real puppet master to control his movements well.   MEASUREMENTS   26” (66.0 cm) long x 26” (66.0 cm) wide (with arms outstretched) x 3 ¾” (9.5 cm) deep. Weighs 1 lb 9 oz (700 g)   CONDITION   The strings are still somewhat twisted but I found no breaks. There are stains on the fabrics. The white sleeves are particularly dingy. There are cracks and dents in headdress, but it is