Identification Assistance Requested - New Collector

[Gustav]

A depiction of turtle as a base of another figure is not uncommon at all on Gandhik of Balinese Keris, but I have yet to see an authentic Garuda depiction on an old Balinese Keris.

[A. G. Maisey]

That's a nice pic Gustav.

So the figure on the keris is in your opinion a depiction of Garuda?

Is that correct?

Can you please tell us why you have formed this opinion?

[Gustav]

Alan, no, that was Jean's opinion.

[A. G. Maisey]

Sorry Gustav.

Please accept my apologies.

Jean, could I redirect my question to you?


That's a nice pic Jean.

So the figure on the keris is in your opinion a depiction of Garuda?

Is that correct?

Can you please tell us why you have formed this opinion?

[Jean]

Hello Alan,
This is my opinion only but this carving does not look like a standard singa for the following reasons:
. Head: fangs, bulging eyes, ears, hair
. Wings
. Sitting position, no penis, unclear tail, animal under its front legs.
I don't remember to have ever seen such a carved animal on a balinese blade but would be curious to see a similar one. However I admit that it has no clear beak so that it may not depict Garuda.
Regards

[Jean]

Originally Posted by Jean

Hello Alan,
This is my opinion only but this carving does not look like a standard singa for the following reasons:
. Head: fangs, bulging eyes, ears, hair
. Wings
. Sitting position, no penis, unclear tail, animal under its front legs.
I don't remember to have ever seen such a carved animal on a balinese blade but would be curious to see a similar one. However I admit that it has no clear beak so that it may not depict Garuda.
Regards

Hum, it may be a singa bersayap after all.

[Gustav]

Ability to learn new things so quickly is a fantastic gift.

This isn't meant ironically.

[A. G. Maisey]

Jean, there are singa carvings, paintings, statues all over Bali, lots in Jawa too.

There is no standard.

The representation varies from place to place, artist to artist, purpose to purpose, material to material, time to time.

I really don't know how many singa images I've seen, but it would certainly run into the thousands. I don't photograph every singa I see, in fact they are so commonplace that sometimes you don't even notice them until you actually look.

Its sort of a bit like vintage motor vehicles in some other societies:- lots & lots of them around, here in Oz you could walk through just about any parking lot & find a vintage vehicle, but unless you're really, really interested in vintage vehicles, you take note as you walk past, & then forget it until somebody asks you what the logo for a Holden (Australia's Chev) is.

Guess what that Holden logo is?

Yep, its a Singa.

Anyway, here is a line up of a few singas that I've dragged out of my photo files. All these singas are Balinese of various ages.

[David]

Originally Posted by Jean

Hello Alan,
This is my opinion only but this carving does not look like a standard singa for the following reasons:
. Head: fangs, bulging eyes, ears, hair
. Wings
. Sitting position, no penis, unclear tail, animal under its front legs.
I don't remember to have ever seen such a carved animal on a balinese blade but would be curious to see a similar one. However I admit that it has no clear beak so that it may not depict Garuda.
Regards

Jean, winged singo seem to be rather common in Bali. Here is a 19th century example that features fangs, bulging eyes hair, no clear indication of a penis and not an animal, but a human infant underneath its legs.
I think your expectations of a singo might be more based upon the Javanese model.

[David]

Here are a few more Balinese singo interpretations, including two on keris blades. I don't really see any "standard" in any of these Bali examples.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by David

Jean, winged singo seem to be rather common in Bali. Here is a 19th century example that features fangs, bulging eyes hair, no clear indication of a penis and not an animal, but a human infant underneath its legs.
I think your expectations of a singo might be more based upon the Javanese model.

Yes David, you are correct.