African Benin Bronze Royal Leopards 48

Each piece of this pair of Benin bronze Royal Leopards measures 21 inches tall and 21 inches from nose to tail. They are male and female, the female wearing a small bell on her beaded becklace. They are cast in the traditional lost wax method in which the mold must be destroyed after each casting to reveal the piece. Because of this, no two Benin bronzes are ever identical. From the 13th through the 19th century the Kingdom of Benin lay along the shore of the Atlantic ocean in modern day Nigeria. This prime trading location placed Benin and its capital city of Ile-Ife among the wealthiest most powerful African Kingdoms. The leopard is central to the Benin creation myth and enjoys status comparable to that of the King (Oba). - FREE US SHIPPING