Indian Door Lintel with Elephant Motifs Flanked By Peafowl

Two elephants approach each other. Nobody has yet given way.

This door lintel with elephant motifs flanked by peafowl is carved teak from the border of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa in India, early 19th century. Panels like it were crafted as door lintels or architectural ornament. Across much of Asia the elephant stands for good fortune, wisdom and strength, and the peacock has long held a place in Indian temple art and myth. Two elephants in saddle cloths flank a central roundel, with another at each end, on a field of fine scrolled lines inside a braided border. Fifty-two inches wide and eleven and a half high.

It set a high bar for whatever lay behind the door.