India......Himalaya......Southeast Asia

ARCHITECTURAL PANEL WITH MITHICAL WINGED ANIMALS

Kushan. Central India
2nd-3rd century
Pink sandstone
106 X 42 cm.

The frieze depicts a row of mythical winged animals - from the left to the right elephant, lion a bull and a gryph- surmounted by a convex moulding carved with bells and leaf motifs. The animals show the western influence from the iranian plateau cultures of the achaemenid period. Probably It belonged to a railing of a buddhist stûpa.