Nyoman Lentong pays tribute to the Chinese white snake legend with this beautifully crafted flute. Bai SuZhen was a snake who became a beautiful woman. Unaware that she was really a snake, a young scholar fell deeply in love with her. But a monk who knew the truth banished Bai SuZhen to the bottom of a deep well and saved the scholar's soul, though it is said his heart was broken. Flutes of this type are used in the Balinese gamelan percussion orchestra, whose importance goes well beyond the pleasure of music and into the realm of ritual ceremony. Lentong shapes the bamboo by hand, using burnt coconut ash to create the motifs. He signs it as Pan Nasib, as he is known in his village. Because each flute is individually handcrafted, size may vary up to +/- 1.5 cms.
