The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-29
A Marionette Museum
The Most Remarkable Collection
of Dolls in the World.

A museum full of doIis-small dolls and
large ones Giants. Strengthening dolls,
good-Iooking dolls and ugly ones; repre-
sentatives of nearly all the countries of
the world, civilized and semi-civilized;
very old dolls and young ones, dolls tnat
in their time have played many parts
amusing thousands of people; the direct
descendants of the characters which
amused and entertained the ancient
Greeks and Romans with comedy and
drama. Such is the remarkable and
unique collection that has been during
many years made by NJ. Maury, one OF the
few living authorities on marionettes, and
formed into a veritable museum In his
house In the Rue Spontini, Paris.
At one time marionette shows consd-
tuted a popular form of entertainment
all over the Old World. In few coun-
tries this class of show is still In vogue.
but as regards England and the Continent
they have practically disappeared.
The heyday of the marionette was when
the music-hall was not, and when the
country fair was more prosperous and
more a thing of pleasure than at present
Then it competed with the strolling
player. With the wane of the fair and
the advent of the variety theater the
marionette was doomed; even abroad.
where great fairs are still events. it has
lost its charm for all but children.
From the thousands of marionettes that
once strutted the boards earning their
manipulators a living, NJ Maury has res
cued his representative collection. which
he guards jealousy in a couple Of rooms
in his residence. He has some hundreds
of them-French, Italian, English, Japa-
nese, and what not-and they constitute
an interesting link with the past history
of comedy and tragedy in various coun-
tries.
A particularly fine representative group
are the marionettes of Italy. which III.
Maury preserves most carefully within a
glass case. They are all most gorgeously
attired, and as relics of the past are
practically priceless.
Italy was at one time essentially the
land of the marionette shows-real, COM
plicated dramas. often improvised by the
individuals working the figures being
given the miniature stage.
The necessity of quick-change scenes
was as great on the marionette stage a
century ago it is on the stage today.
Ingenious were the devices resorted to to
bring about the desired alteration, and,
while not keeping the audience waiting.
to take its breath away with the inge-
nuity of the transformation.
4uSEc 10 u pdAKs JIG VI
is a gaily dressed woman, and the other
a simple country maiden. The former
converts, by raising her dress all round,
into a vase of flowers. The vase shape Is
hidden beneath the dress, at present tat
tered and torn by wear and age; the
floral trimming on the back becomes the
heaped-up flowers.
One would hardly suspect the country
maiden of being a windmill in disguise.
yet into a windmill she is transformed by
merely raising her dress to cover her face.
the arms of the mill being secreted be-
meath it
The japanese are a strange people. hold
ing strange ideas of beauty-not material.
surface beauty of form and grace, but
beauty of the emotions, of virtue and sin.
love and hate. And so Ii comes about
that their marionettes differ in aspect
from their European equals. The villain
is carved a villain about his facial his
wickedness is plain to see. and he could
not possibly be mistaken for a hero or
even a good sort of fellow. 1t is the same
with the hero and the heroine.
These japanese figures cleveriy and
deliberately carved in wood, and instead
of action being impaired to them with
strings the manipulation handles long, thin
pieces of ivory fastened to their hands.
But it Is the Japanese figures that are
the wonder of this collection. These
stand two feet In height, are marvels of
mechanical construction and beautiful
specimens of the japanese carvers' and
painters art, besides being gorgeously at
tired in gold and embroidered silk gar
ments.
St. Antoine is the Oldest of all In the
museum, and, SO far as Its proud owner
has been able to discover, the Oldest
marionette in existence, dating back to
the sixteenth century. 1t Is supposed to
have belonged to a religious set OF mar
ionettes, such as were in use In the mon
asteries of France for the performance
of religious dramas by the old monks.
The same method of teaching religion was
also largely carried on In Italy in the
earlier ages.
The most modern figures In the collec-
ton date from the time of the 1890 Paris
Exhibition, when some illadvised specu-
lator opened a marionette show In the
Rue de Paris OF course, the theater
failed. as did M. Maury's attempt to run
a matinee marionette theater for chill
dren.
NJ. Maury bought most of the figures,
which were most beautifully carved. and
we're most unique because, instead OF be-
ing worked by strings from above. the
limbs were manipulated by a slot ar