Edo Bronze Animal Figure

Animals have always had a place in the art of Benin City. The leopard, for one, was tied to power and the natural world.

Edo artists in Nigeria cast this creature in bronze in the 20th century. It is under two inches tall and two and a half long, and it strides forward on stout legs, head raised, jaws open, a single pointed ear or horn standing upright. A thin tail rises from the back in a long loop, arches overhead and curls back down beneath the body.

The surface is rough and earthy, sandy brown with pale green encrustation.

Weathered, and not apologizing.