Crib puppet – Cracovian

A crib puppet – a doll set on a wire with a wooden handle, making it easier for the man hidden behind the crib to hold and move the puppet while performing the Nativity play on stage.

Stylized as folk according to the ideas of the bourgeois (similar to those worn by the nobility at balls and sleigh rides in the 19th century or by actors in theatrical productions). The “Cracovian” wears a wedding crown on her head, a so-called “wreath” made of artificial flowers set on a cardboard hoop, with ribbons on the back, of which one has survived. The white shirt has cuffs trimmed with gold metallic thread, and the bodice is made of dark green velvet with a bouquet of flowers attached. The “Cracovian” wears four wide skirts with the top one trimmed with horizontal strips of ribbons and sequins. Blue beads on the doll's neck replace the traditional red ones.