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Fragment from a railing crossbar: nobleman riding an elephant

India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

1st century BCE

Not on view

The 1915 discovery of this and other railing fragments in Mathura confirmed the presence of a Buddhist monastery complex a short distance from the city center in the early centuries BCE. A richly bedecked elephant carries a ruler of one of the eight kingdoms that laid claim to a portion of the Buddha’s remains following his cremation. Given the absence of a reliquary from the scene, this may represent an earlier moment in the narrative, when the kings of the region traveled hastily to Kushinagar to secure their share of the relics; the texts report that one of the claimants arrived late.

Fragment from a railing crossbar: nobleman riding an elephant, Sandstone, India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fragment from a railing crossbar: nobleman riding an elephant, Sandstone, India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

Fragment from a railing crossbar: nobleman riding an elephant, Sandstone, India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Fragment from a railing crossbar: nobleman riding an elephant

Period: Shunga

Date: 1st century BCE

Culture: India, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

Medium: Sandstone

Dimensions: H. 16 3/8 in. (41 cm); W. 27 15/16 in. (71 cm); D. 4 3/4 in. (12 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, New Delhi

Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Theirry Ollivier

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.