Saddle, Saddle Pad, Stirrups, Rein, Stirrup Straps, Bit and Bridle, Breaststrap, Tassel, and Crupper 18th-19th century Tibetan The central decorative feature of this intricate eighteenth- or nineteenth-centry Sino-Tibetan saddle is the krttimukha, or Face of Glory, a glowerng mask that recurs in various forms throughout the religious ornament of Tibet, China, India, and Indonesia. According to one story, the krttimukha was a lion-headed demon created by the supreme Hindu deity, Shiva, and served both as his doorkeeper and as a manifestation of his divine power. The krttimukha motif spread with the expansion of Hinduism and, like many other aspects of Hindu belief and art, was eventually incorporated into the Buddhist tradition and widely disseminated by it. In both religions it symbolizes the beneficence of dinive authority and protection from spiritual and physical dangers. The krttimukha was used ubiquitously as an auspicious sign to ward off evil.On the saddle the krttimukha ap