Nandi Head

Anonymous. Perhaps no word appears more in museum labels around the world. “Not identified by name.” Many artworks fit this definition, especially those that have survived long enough for their makers to be forgotten. Anonymous also has another meaning: “having no outstanding, individual, or unusual features.” This second meaning is unintended, but it nevertheless casts a long shadow, and anonymous art is generally undervalued in favor of things that can be associated with a famous name.

Nandi Head is by no means lacking in “outstanding, individual, or unusual features.” It is, after all, an enormous bull’s head, brightly decorated with colorful garlands—not something one encounters every day. Nandi is the faithful mount of Shiva, one of the highest deities in Hinduism. Despite its great size, this head was only one part of an even more massive cart that towered above an outdoor crowd like a moving mountain, carrying the temple’s sacred statue of Shiva to spread blessings during a community festival.

It is true that we no longer know the names of the people who made Nandi Head. From its scale, we can be confident that it was not the work of a single individual but required the resources and support of many. In this sense, the first definition of anonymous, which we might rephrase as “lacking identity,” is no more appropriate than “lacking outstanding features.” Temple festivals, which are still held in India’s southern state of Kerala as they were two centuries ago, unite individuals into a community and are expressions of a community’s cultural identity. Nandi Head might not reflect the identity of a single famous name, but one could argue that the collaborative effort of an entire community is even more notable.

Nandi Head
India, Kerala, late 18th century
Polychromed wood
Gift of the Christensen Fund, 2001
(10673.1)