Accession No.TRI.2025.0047: Brian Miller, 2021 September
[identification of item], Chinese Opera Facial Makeup Shadow Box, SPEC.TRI.0122, Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Allison McPherson, 2025 October; Finding aid written by: Allison McPherson, 2025 October
Chinese opera is a form of musical theatre in China that uses makeup to create exaggerated features. During the performance the colors are traditionally painted directly on actors’ faces, but replicas can be found as souvenirs made from materials such as ceramic, wood, or plastic. These masks and replicas of the facial makeup used in Chinese opera are a common gift to foreigners or used as display pieces often contained in shadow boxes or as individual masks.
The colors used in the facial makeup and the art pieces that depict it each have symbolism. Including red that symbolizes loyalty and integrity, black symbolizes uprightness, white symbolizes cunning, and gold or silver symbolizes divinity or supernatural characters. Colors indicate to the audience how to identify the characters and personalities depicted in the art or played by the performers that often portray stock characters from Chinese folklore such as the Five Tiger Generals.
The Chinese Opera Facial Makeup Shadow Box collection contains a lightly padded decorative box that houses a shadow box displaying examples of the Five Tiger Generals masks with two descriptive inserts. The materials are from circa 1970s-2000s and contain both Chinese and English on the descriptive inserts, shadow box, and decorative outer box.