Batak Figure Depicting Mythical Singa

The wood has split straight down the middle, and the face has not blinked.

This figure depicting a mythical singa is Batak, from Sumatra, Indonesia, and dates to the mid to late 19th century. It is carved and painted wood. The singa is among the most familiar motifs in Batak carving, a guardian head generally believed to ward off harm from the buildings it decorates. Two round eyes carved in concentric rings flank a long split through the brow and snout. Traces of white, red and black paint survive in the grooves of the scrolls. It is 17 inches wide, 24 deep and 41 high.

Weather has done its worst and the guard is still on duty.