PUPMUS-Puppetmuseum
What ever happens to the
actors and stage scenery when a puppet-theatre company ceases its activity?
Until a short time ago, no value, either monetary or cultural, was attributed
to these materials. Occasionally one or two puppets, above all those representing
the best-loved characters, were kept at home as souvenirs by the puppeteer’s
family. The others ended up as pulp, or at best, were passed on to a colleague
of the puppeteer’s and became part of his resources. This practice, along
with the deterioration of the materials, has meant that it is extremely difficult
for puppets to be dated with any degree of certainty back beyond the end of
the 19th century. Exceptions are 18th century puppet collections which had been
left in the attics of the houses of the upper classes, and then on being discovered,
were entrusted to museums such as Museo Correr in Venice, Museo dell’Attore
in Genoa, Museo teatrale della Scala in Milan, the Borromeo Collection on Isola
Bella and the collection at the Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris.
The number of museums in Europe housing only puppets can be counted on the fingers
of one hand. But what is to be found in other public and private collections?
And what about among the families of the puppeteers themselves? What interest
is there today in this cultural heritage?
In order to answer these questions we embarked upon a research project based
on the elaboration of questionnaires, which was subsequently sent out to all
interested parties.
It was discovered that a lot of materials from puppet-theatres lies in storage
in great museums, from whom it has not always been possible to obtain adequate
information. Other museums answered our questionnaire with great attention and
interest, enabling us to sketch a tentative initial picture of the situation.
It also came to light that there is a budding enthusiasm for the hobby of collecting
puppets seriously. In the last few years several associations and companies
have started to collect, classify, exhibit puppets and to publish catalogues,
usually comprising material from one particular theatre or from a limited area.
Those responsible for these initiatives are planning to set up small museums
in the near future.
Our intention was to locate the various materials and to facilitate the task
of scholars and enthusiasts searching for them. The final result is a CD-rom
which contains the data gathered via the completed forms from institutions taking
part in our project. The result maps out puppet collections in 140 museums,
and provides 690 images and about 30 minutes of video from 24 European countries.
The CD-rom is a multi-medial and inter-active research repository, divided into
three principal sections: European museums, typology and images. Using this
appliance it is possible to carry out immediate research into all the institutions
listed, and with little difficulty, to compare the results obtained, thus facilitating
research and spreading the word about the world of the puppet-theatre. We are
also hoping to stimulate interest on the part of public administration bodies
in the various countries, so that they might preserve and treasure the vestiges
of an art-form that for centuries provided one of the only sources of entertainment
and information for the masses and especially for the less well-off.
The CD-rom is a work in progress, an invitation to participate in the ongoing
research. Ther invitation is also aimed at directors of museums already represented
in the CD-rom. Some of these might wish to rework their contributions, adding
information and images. We intend to produce a second edition of the CD-rom
as soon as the material-situation permits.
All institutions and individuals interested in contributing can send the adhesion
form to the following e-mail address: pupmus@museomarionette.it
Or lacking e-mail, to the following address:“Where are the Puppets?”
C/o Museo internazionale dellle marionette Antonio Pasqualino
Via Butera, 1 90133 Palermo - Italy.
More information:
Tel.: ++39 109 328060 Fax: ++39 091 328276