BATAK, Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia. Hasapi" lute, traditional instrument used by the Batak people and often used in ritual ceremonies. A two-stringed instrument made of hardwood with a shiny dark brown patina. Its elongated shape is reminiscent of a pirogue. The top of the instrument is adorned with a finely carved statuette representing an ancestral horseman wearing a hornbill on his head, a symbol of divinity. At the base of the instrument is a Singa, a mythical creature. First third of the 20th century. Length: 80 cm. Width: 10 cm. Provenance: Collected in situ in 1970 by Jacques Cortecero.