A bull, possibly Nandi

Panels of fired clay like the two on this wall were used to decorate brick temples in northern India during the fourth through sixth centuries.This humped bull may represent Nandi, the devoted mount of the Hindu god Shiva. The decorative element on the right side of the panel is an auspicious motif in South Asian art, representing a lionlike “face of glory” (kirtimukha) spewing jewels into an overflowing pot.