This lead statuette was discovered in Singapore in 1998 on the banks of the Singapore River, but is dated back to the 14th century. Design-wise, the statuette echoes Javanese style: the rider wears a sarong around his waist, exposing his waist and calves, and is seated upon a winged saddle. Analysis also revealed that the statuette is made of lead, which was almost never used in early Southeast Asian material culture, which tend to employ bronze and gold instead.

On one hand, this statuette points to the kingdom of Singapura’s links to the Majapahit empire, to whom Singapura was vassal to during the 14th century. But there have also been several theories proposed that the statuette is a depiction of the ancestor of the rulers of the Singapura kingdom, Raja Chulan, who is narrated in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) as having emerged from the oceans on a winged sea-horse.

Reproduction based on the collection of National Museum of Singapore.