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Batak stones and riders. Sitting statue,pangulubalang

 

stone11
stone9
stone8
stone2
stone14
stone17
stone10
stone19
stone4
stone13
stone3
stone5
stone6
stone24
stone15

Batak stone figure

pangulubalang
This truly monumental stone effigy of a riding figure has a weathered surface, a sign of great age.

As for funerary purposes these effigies commemorated high ranking persons.

A Toba origin southwest of Lake Toba is a possibility.

normally we see a lot of these stone riders on horses and elphants , but this one is exceptional and rare as the animal is a Tiger Cat.

the stone is +- 200 kg and  95 cm H / 80 cm l

ex collection B.Brugnier and Nunnung art in Indonesia.

 

Most of these Batak sculptures came to the west without documentation concerning place of origin or the purpose for which they were actually made. Since most Batak communities turned to the Christian and Islamic faith before and after WW2, they abandoned the old indigenous ways of believing and with this change the perception of these sculptures gradually disappeared within two or three generations. Thanks to early photographic reports of missionaries and colonial officials, but also later by travellers and researchers some of these sculptures were recorded.

ba12-2-30-6
ba12-2-30-1
ba12-2-30-4
ba12-2-30-2
ba12-2-30-5
ba12-2-30-3
tag13-59-8
tag13-59-9
tag13-59-7
tag13-59-6
tag13-59-5
batakstone14
batakstone13
batakstone12
batakstone8
tag13-8-15
tag13-8-14
tag13-8-13
batakstone14
batakstone13
batakstone12
tag13-8-10
batakstone11
batakstone10
batakstone8
tag13-8-6
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