Checking out real Czech cultureIn Prague, puppetry more than mere child’s play
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YOU will understand the spirit of Prague puppetry if you think with your heart,” Mozart, who composed the puppet show “Don Giovanni,” is credited with saying.
There are hundreds of puppet shops along the streets of central Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. “If you stroll on these streets, you will see more puppets than tourists,” Františka Nekvasilová, an assistant at a small puppet shop near the Charles Bridge, said with pride.
The 22-year-old shop where Nekvasilová works is called Truhlár Marionety. Its shelves are filled with marionettes of various sizes and shapes, all of which are created by the shop’s inhouse designers and artists.
“I have always wanted to be a puppeteer, ever since I was attracted to the marionettes’ painted faces shown on TV when I was 10. I tried on my own to design and make a puppet with potatoes and papers,” Nekvasilová said as she sewed a dress for a newly-made marionette.
In general, Prague’s puppet shops fall into two categories: those like Truhlár Marionety which sell their own self-produced dolls, and those which source puppets from outside craftsmen.
“There is even cooperation among family members; for example, some carve the wood and others make clothes. A simple puppet may take days to create while an elaborate one may much take longer,” explained Denisa Bartošová, an assistant at the puppet shop Galerie Michael.
“Craftsmen usually visit our shop monthly to sell their hand-made puppets,” she added.
Marionettes are believed to have made their way to what is now the Czech Republic from India via England, France and Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, Czechs were forbidden from using the Czech language under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy which imposed a policy of gradual Germanization. They could, however, use the language during marionette shows staged in the countryside.
“The underground marionette shows saved the Czech language and culture during a period when there was no TV and Internet,” Nekvasilová said.
Since then, puppets have made their way into a wide variety of art forms and are today considered pieces of art in their own right.
Over recent years though, the use of modern manufacturing practices has started to weigh on local puppet makers.
“Modern machines increase production and decrease costs. A plastic, machine-made marionette may require one-tenth the cost of a handmade wooden one. But the latter may sell for 300 euros (US$341.4), almost 20 times the price of the former,” Nekvasilová said.
“Focusing on quantity does not ensure quality. That is what I really worry about. I’m afraid that traditional handcrafts will only be seen in museums someday.”
To pass down this traditional art, one small marionette workshop in Prague named Pavel Truhlár is teaching students how to create and perform with puppets.
Zdenka Owenová, the workshop’s manager, said: “We provide courses and cooperate with schools in long-term projects on puppet shows.”
“We have been keeping with tradition since our shop opened. Whether modern technology destroys the craftsmanship or not, I will still devote my life to puppet making,” Nekvasilová said.
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