Curriculum Materials: Amazing Animals in
Art
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Image 6 African, Nigeria (Benin) Essays: Questions: |
Benin Leopard
This bronze leopard is actually a water vessel, used by the oba when he washed his hands during ceremonies. The vessel was filled through a round, hinged opening at the top of the leopard's head; when tipped, water poured out through its pierced nostrils. This type of water vessel in form, called an aquamanile, derives from European types made from about 1100 to 1500 and used in both religious and secular contexts. Such vessels may have been known in Benin through trade with Europe.
When not being used, the leopard aquamanile stood on the oba's ancestral altar in the royal palace courtyard. Other bronze objects such as plaques and heads would have been displayed with it. Leopards were usually made in pairs; the mate to this leopard is in a museum in Munich, Germany.
Admired for its power, ferocity, agility, and intelligence, the leopard became a symbol of the oba. According to Benin thought, the leopard could strike fear into the heart of the enemy; it also was recognized as a leader in the animal kingdom. Images of leopards appeared on many objects of royal paraphernalia, reinforcing the oba's majesty and power. Live leopards, captured and tamed, were kept at the royal palace. Placed on leashes, they even accompanied royal processions. Leopard skins, which were emblems of rank in Benin, could be worn only by the oba and those who obtained his permission. When a hunter killed a leopard he was expected to report to the nearest chief that it was a "leopard of the bush," not one "of the house." Like the royal art of Benin, the leopard essentially belonged to the king, signifying his superior status.
This sculpture conveys the strength, cunning, and wary alertness characteristic of a leopard. Standing firmly on sturdy, muscular legs, the animal looks straight ahead with its ears perked and its fangs bared, a reminder of its awesome power. It displays many of the conventions used for leopards in Benin art, such as overlapping canines, distinct molars, slanted eyes, and leaf-shaped ears. The richly TEXTURED bronze surface possesses a dull black patina and has been painstakingly incised with small circles to represent the leopard's spots. These are set against a stippled background.
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