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Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin, Edo
Leopard Hip Pendant, probably 18th Century
Cast brass with copper inlay, H. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)
Purchased with funds from the bequest of W.R. Valentiner, by exchange, 99.2
The art of the Kingdom of Benin (in modern Nigeria) was made to glorify the Oba (divine king) and to enhance the elaborate ritual of his court. The kingdom flourished from before 1400 to the end of the 19th century. In 1897 the British Punitive Expedition violently retaliated against a Benin uprising and plundered the Oba's court of thousands of cast brass and ivory sculptures, introducing Benin art to the rest of the world for the first time. European and American viewers were astonished at the technical sophistication and the beauty of Benin art, which has had a central place in the world's greatest art museums since that time.
Chiefs and titleholders at the Oba's court wore a variety of brass ornaments as part of their elaborate ceremonial costumes. Hip pendants, which were worn singly at the hip covering the closure of their wrapped skirts, usually depicted the human face. Less common and more restricted in terms of who wore them were those depicting a leopard head. This hip pendant displays the conventions used for leopards in Benin art-overlapping fangs, whiskers at each side of the face, large eyes whose upper lids overlap the lower lids at the inner corners, and leaf-shaped ears. The animal's spots are represented by copper tacks that were inset in the wax model before casting. These smooth rounded bosses contrast in texture and color with the stippled surface of the brass pendant. Small metal rattles, called crotals, are suspended from loops at the bottom of a pleated flange. Hip pendants of this type have been dated by some scholars to the 18th century. Others take a more conservative approach, arguing that evidence is insufficient for dating the objects to a particular century. Thus hip pendants are designated as "16th - 19th centuries."
In Benin culture the leopard was the quintessential symbol of royal authority and its use was a prerogative of the Oba. The creature was seen as terrifying and ferocious, but also as cunning and intelligent, a leader in the animal kingdom. Leopard hip ornaments were bestowed on the Oba's military chiefs as badges of honor. The symbol provided protection to the wearer, while announcing the Oba's omnipresence. It also gave the wearer the authority to act in the king's name..
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