1980.22 House facade ornament representing a singa

Round staring eyes and a protruding tongue identify the singa, a mythical creature seen on brass bracelets, stone sarcophagi, and on Batak houses as gable ornaments. Singa is a Sanskrit word meaning “lion,” but the Batak beast is never feline. It is associated with serpents, water buffalo, and crocodiles or lizards–all creatures of the underworld. The singa suggests fertility and protection against disease, misfortune, and evil influences. Its position high on the traditional house links the singa with the upper world, implying an interdependence of the levels of the universe and reminding the Batak of their critical relationship with ancestors. 

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2013.

n.d.: Deletaille Collection, Brussels, Belgium [1]

n.d.: J. Gabriel Barbier-Muller, Dallas, Texas, purchased from above [1]

1980: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift from above [2]

[1] See copy of correspondence between I. de Charrière, Curator, Barbier-Muller Musuem, Geneva and John Lunsford, Curator, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts dated April 30, 1980 in the Collections Records object file (1980.22).

[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983. 

apply to objects where number equals 1980.22