South-Est Asian Art A pair of monumental Singa heads, BatakNorth Sumatra, Indonesia. . Cm 36,00 x 104,00. A pair of large architectural elements. Carved and painted wood. The subject represented is that of the Singa, "lion" according to the Sanskrit root of the name, but in reality an beast of many natures (lion, buffalo, lizard). The Singa, benevolent and protective spirit, is a kind of apotropaic figure within the Batak mythology. Large specimens, like these, were placed on the facades of major buildings and barns to protect their contentsNote - for comparison see: Metropolitan Museum, NY, architectural ornament (Singa), cat. N ° 1988.143.170