Skip Navigation

Collection Menu
Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)
Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)
Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_overall.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_overall.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.56.6.31a-b_print_front_bw.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.56.6.31a-b_print_front_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_front01.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_front01.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_front02.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_front02.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_interior.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_interior.jpg)

Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_top.jpg)

Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.56.6.31a-b_top.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head

Arts of Africa

This box was used to hold kola nuts presented to visitors in the royal court of Benin. Leopards are one of the most commonly portrayed animals in African art. Intelligent and courageous, they often serve as metaphors for powerful individuals or associations.
CULTURE Edo
MEDIUM Wood, upholstery studs
  • Place Made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
    • DATES 19th century
    DIMENSIONS 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    EXHIBITIONS
    ACCESSION NUMBER 56.6.31a-b
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    CAPTION Edo. Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2021
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Box in form of leopard head, wood with metal tacks over surface, ears protrude, teeth and fangs represented.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    Edo. <em>Box in the Form of a Leopard's Head</em>, 19th century. Wood, upholstery studs, 6 11/16 × 5 5/16 × 4 1/4 in. (17 × 13.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 56.6.31a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 56.6.31a-b_PS11.jpg)

    TAGS

    animal
    animals
    big cat
    black cat
    feline
    leopard
    spots
    whiskers

    TAGS

    animal
    animals
    big cat
    black cat
    feline
    leopard
    spots
    whiskers
    + Add Tag

    RELATED OBJECTS

    Lion Paperweight, Figure of a Lion Palm Wine Cup (Mbwoongntey) Ceremonial seat (ngundja) Ceremonial Staff (Kibango) Ceremonial Staff (Kibango) Mask (Nganga Diphomba) Mask for the Okuyi Society (Mukudj) Mask (Pwoom Itok) Three-Headed Figure (Sakimatwemtwe) Hair Ornament Cap Head from a Statue of a Lion Cat and Mouse Cat Mummy Tiger Reclining (Tigre couché) Figure of a Hornblower Plaque Double Bell (Egogo) Seal Feast Bowl Spindle Whorl (Sulsultin) Waist Pendant with Oba and Two Attendants Male and Female Figures on Horses Bracelet Two Standing Lionesses and a Horse Top for a Stool (Agba) Spear Pendant Mask (Uhunmwun-ekue) Lady with Tambourine London from my Window Prayer Mat Medium Sized Rectangular Mat Neck Ornament (Ulimi) South End Bridge, Eastport Holbein-derivative Carpet Lion-Headed Gaming Piece, 1 of 5 Lion-Headed Gaming Piece, 1 of 5 Altar Tusk Head of an Oba Altar Stand for a Vessel Yamashita Hana Playing with a Kitten Box with lid Head Shaped Receptacle Standing Male Figure Figure of an Oba Human Figure with Mudfish legs Standing Figure Standing Executioner Figure Face Mask with Two Horns Ekpo Face Mask of a Chief Bell Cylindrical Base Side Blown Horn Pendant Mask (Uhunmwun-ekue) Hip Ornament with Human Face (Uhunmwun-ekue)