Fragment of a doorpost

A man, dressed as hunter, is visiting a queen. Her pose conveys sadness. This may be an illustration of a scene from the Saddantajataka, a Buddhist story. In this story, the tusks of a dead elephant are presented to the queen of Benares, who, in her previous life, was the consort of the dead elephant. Such an interpretation remains problematic, however, due to the fragmentary nature of the carving.