African Arts Gallery

Palatial tribal art of the Benin type.
Bronze miniature whose motifs represent the eyespots of the coat.
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, he accompanied the chief on his travels. The Oba, called "child of the household leopard", could also offer the teeth or skin to commanders whose loyalty was evident. The rich Benin iconography is therefore full of references to this animal.
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. Warlike scenes were reproduced on bronze narrative plaques and affixed to the walls. Sumptuous bronze altars, commemorative figures of deceased chiefs, heavy bracelets, anklets and recades were produced in quantity in numerous foundry workshops using the lost wax casting technique.