Wooden Nandi Cow Head Wall Hanging – 5 Earthy Colours

How it is made

Each head is cut from a single block of mango wood and shaped by hand before any paint touches it. The painting is the slow part — fine brush line work laid over a base coat by artisans who have been painting this one form for years. The eye, the brow motif, the beaded collar: all freehand. What arrives is one craftsman’s afternoon of work, not a moulded copy off a line.

The five colours

• Jungle Green — deep teal-green, with gold and orange line work and patterned ears
• Mustard — warm ochre, red-tipped green horns
• Coffee Bean — dark brown with white dot work and a red band at the horn base; the most restrained of the five
• French Blue — mid blue with deep red horns and a floral face panel
• Deep Green — clear green with deep red horns and gold brow work

Where it goes

Rooms where the palette is already set — neutral living rooms, wood-panelled hallways, reading corners. Pooja rooms and meditation spaces, where Nandi has an obvious place. Above a sideboard, or in a pair flanking a doorway.

Hanging it

There is a keyhole slot in a flat plate on the back. Drive a screw or a nail with a head into the wall, leave it standing a few millimetres proud, and drop the keyhole over it. At 850 g a drywall anchor is plenty — but a bare pushpin is not enough to hold it. Screws and wall anchors are not supplied.

Care

Dust with a dry cloth. Keep it out of prolonged direct sunlight so the colours hold. Do not use water or solvent cleaners on the painted surface.