Items cast in bronze were created to enhance the prestige of the Benin King and royal family. Leopards, captive and tamed were heavily associated with royalty in Africa. Leopards paraded along side the king..."This king appears once a year in public, on horseback, covered with royal ornaments...Tame leopards are led on chains..." Leopards were characterized as being most powerful and fierce, being restrained only by a more powerful king. Only the king and his hunters were entitled to hunt and kill leopards and then only for sacrificial purposes. Leopards are also said to be the guardians of the Queen Mother. 

Today Leopards are cast in honor of their traditional past and used as a source of tribal pride and personal status for the people of Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria. 

The size of Leopards vary greatly from miniature versions to gigantic figures towering over 5 feet tall. Their coats can cast a bronze glow or a aged rustic green. Tails can reach up and extend into a loop or drop down trailing the Leopards magnificent body.

Please click photo for enlargement!

Dimensions: 16 inches long x 11 inches tall x 4 inches wide