Title
Ring
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
North Sumatra
Dimension
Object size: 4.3 x 4.2 x 2.0 cm
Accession No.
2002-00656
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Edmond Chin
This engraved brass ring is from the Batak people. The ring features a ‘singa’ motif. The singa is a mythical creature believed by the Batak people to have supernatural powers, able to ward off evil as it was believed to have protective powers. Jewellery has many different functions in island Southeast Asia, for example it was used to indicate social positions, to symbolise the importance of the social relationship between the giver and the receiver during gift exchanges, and to serve as miniature religious objects
