[Reinstallation, installed 2017]:
In the Benin Kingdom, the leopard was valued both for its terrifying ferociousness and its cunning intelligence. This powerful symbol was associated solely with the oba and the most powerful members of his court. Pendants like this were worn around the waist and helped identify an individual’s rank within the court. The right to wear a leopard pendant would only be granted to a limited set of courtiers, often warriors.
The hip pendant displayed in this case features characteristic depictions of leopards by Edo artists including: leaf-shaped ears, overlapping fangs, large eyes, and geometricized whiskers. By placing copper tacks inside the mold before the casting, the artist highlights and differentiates the leopard’s spots. The small metal bells attached to the mask’s lower edge add a sonorous component to this visually impressive ceremonial object.
OLD LABEL TEXT:
In Benin culture the leopard was a symbol of royal authority. The king bestowed leopard hip ornaments on his military chiefs as badges of honor. The symbol provided protection to the wearer and gave him the authority to act in the king's name. On this example, the animal's spots are represented by copper tacks. Small metal rattles, called crotals, are suspended from loops at the bottom of a pleated collar.
Private collection; auctioned at Sotheby's, November 14, 1989; Merton D. Simpson, New York; Margaret Demant, Detroit, 1993-99; purchased by NCMA from Anthony Slayter-Ralph, Santa Barbara, CA, 1999.
Exhibition Historyexhibition history New York, NY, The Museum for African Art, "Animals in African Art from the Familiar to the Marvelous," 1995, cat. no. 121.
Detroit, MI, The Detroit Institute of Arts, "African Form and Imagery: Detroit Collects," 1996, cat. no. 50.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Objects of Desire: The Museum Collects, 1994-2004," July 18, 2004-February 27, 2005.
Published Referencesbibliography "Important TribalArt: The Helen and Mace Neufeld Collection of TribalArt," Sotheby's: New York (Tuesday, November 14, 1989), 100, illus.
Rebecca Martin Nagy, "18th Century Benin Leopard Hip Pendant," North Carolina Museum of Art Preview and Calendar of Events (November-December 1999), 7, illus. (b-w).
"Art Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Annual Report (1998-99), 8, illus. (b-w).
"La Chronique des Arts," Gazette des Beaux-Arts 1574 (March 2000), listed no. 205, illus. (b-w) 53.
Obsidian III 4, no. 2 (Spring/Summer 2002), illus. (b-w) 117.
Rebecca Martin Nagy and Dennis P. Weller, entry for Leopard Hip Pendant, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2010), 112, illus. (color) 113.