Benin leopard figure in bronze African antiques, large African figure -4118

Description

Benin leopard figure in bronze African antiques, large African figure -9.2/3.5 CM
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150 $
255 $
Benin leopard figure in bronze African antiques, large African figure -9.2/3.5 CM
Ex-Corsican African art collection. The leopard,representing royal power, has a central place in the culture of the Benin kingdom because this animal appears in the founding myth of which King Ewuare is the hero. According to legend, he wakes up after spending a night next to a leopard and a snake without realizing it. As in other cosmogonies, animals are the manifestation or even the incarnation of supernatural forces. Being spared by these predators is therefore a sign of divine blessing. Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in many foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. The killing of the king of animals associated with legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the cult of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, it accompanied the leader on his travels. The Oba, named "child of the leopard of the house", could also offer the teeth or the skin to commanders whose loyalty was manifest. The rich Benin iconography is therefore full ofreferences to this animal. The sculpture decorated with patterns of pellets representing the ocelli, has a brown and golden patina.
SIZE OF THE Figure
9.2/3.5 CM
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Material
An original patina covers the item
Description
Video
Ex-Corsican African art collection. The leopard,representing royal power, has a central place in the culture of the Benin kingdom because this animal appears in the founding myth of which King Ewuare is the hero. According to legend, he wakes up after spending a night next to a leopard and a snake without realizing it. As in other cosmogonies, animals are the manifestation or even the incarnation of supernatural forces. Being spared by these predators is therefore a sign of divine blessing. Before the destruction of the palace of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, the divine character of the kings, the Oba, was illustrated by multiple works celebrating their power. War scenes were reproduced on narrative plaques, in bronze, and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in many foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique. The killing of the king of animals associated with legends, the leopard, was the privilege of the chief, the Oba. The feline could then serve as an offering for the cult of the chief's head. Sometimes tamed by various royal guilds, it accompanied the leader on his travels. The Oba, named "child of the leopard of the house", could also offer the teeth or the skin to commanders whose loyalty was manifest. The rich Benin iconography is therefore full ofreferences to this animal. The sculpture decorated with patterns of pellets representing the ocelli, has a brown and golden patina.
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