Title
Wooden figure of a winged lion
Year/Period
first half of the 20th century
Region
Bali, Indonesia
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 57.6 x 37.1 x 49.7 cm
Accession No.
2018-00935
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of the City of Delft, Netherlands
NLB Type
Woodcarving
Carved wooden figure of a winged lion, known as a singa barong seated on a plinth of stylized clouds. Such figures were a common subject of Balinese traditional carvings and were often used as decorative finials crowning roof beams in temples or palaces. Singa barong are protective creatures dedicated to helping humans and keeping demonic forces at bay so they are often found as architectural features – especially placed to guard entrances and passages. In Balinese mythology a singa barong is sent to the earth to defeat a rampant witch named Rangda who eats children and caused chaos among the people.
