A Singa Batak Toba architectural decoration, Sumatra

A Singa Batak Toba architectural decoration, Sumatra
In the artistic corpus of the Batak Toba, there is a supernatural creature generically called singa, whose role is to watch over homes and the community and protect individuals from evil forces. The name singa comes from Sanskrit and means “lion”.

In Batak Toba tribal art, representations of singa can adorn small objects such as rings as well as stone sarcophagi.
Some of the most impressive appear on the fronts of houses and rice barns, like the ornament we are offering here.
105 cm (130 cm with base)