Context (Field collection)
Presumed taken on the British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897. There is no information on how Clarke acquired this object, but given that such objects on the market in the early twentieth century reached Britain through the Expedition, and the likely sale room or auction acquisition, this is presumed to be the most likely route.
Event Date 2/1897
Author: rachel hand

Context (Related Documents)
Catalogue card reads, in black ink: "34.16 | Benin / Bronze leopard with raised spots attached by head to a chain also of bronze. / Bought at ROE - the Curiosity Shop in Cambridge."
Stamped in faint blue ink, rectangular border: "CLARKE GIFT"
Red circular sticker on right of card.
Event Date 1934
Author: Katrina Dring

Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card notes: "Bronze leopard with raised spots, attached by head, to a chain also of bronze."
Event Date 8/6/2000
Author: maa

Context (Auction / Sale)
Catalogue card reads "Bought in Roe, the Curiosity Shop in Cambridge"

Event Date 8/6/2000
Author: maa

Context (Analysis)
In January 2017, Prof. Marcos Martinon-Torres and Agnese Benzonelli, UCL Institute of Archaeology, tested this idno using a portable XRF as part of a programme of base metal analysis of Benin material.
Event Date 27/1/2017
Author: Eleanor Wilkinson

Context (Amendments / updates)
Photograph attached to the rear of the catalogue card taken during the 20-2002 Shorts Project. Annotated on the rear with the year and negative number '[2001].42'.
Event Date 19/8/2020
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Amendments / updates)
The card and register reference to 'Benin' may refer to the wider historical Kingdom of Benin or Benin City, so both have been included with queries
Event Date 15/10/2021
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (References)
Emwiegbe describes ornaments worn on the body or attached to ceremonial regalia. Although Emwiegbe is used to collectively describe these objects in Edo, in English the terms charm and ornament are used.

Ẹkpẹn (leopard figures) are widely featured in Benin arts. In Benin, leopards are considered the king of the forest and as such seen as a symbol of authority. The leopard is a royal symbol of kingship because it embodies the qualities of courage, strength, ferocity and wisdom. Leopards were hunted by Iviekpen.

In Edo, leopards are described as the ‘king of the bush’, whereas the Ọba is the ‘king of the home’. Although ferocious, leopards are seen as natural leaders, as powerful animals with qualities of moderation and restraint (Ben-Amos, 1976, p.247). Therefore, the Ọba is seen as similar to the leopard, and when depicted on objects or as objects, the leopard symbolises the Ọba. As such, the Ọba is sometimes referred to as the ‘leopard of the house’ (Vogel, 1978, p.93).
Event Date 13/3/2023
Author: rachel hand

Context (Analysis)
Analysed using XRF instrumentation by Dr Agnese Benzonelli, University of Cambridge, as part of research by Prof. Marcos Martinon-Torres and Dr Agnese Benzonelli into Benin material at MAA
Event Date 13/3/2023
Author: rachel hand

Context (Amendments / updates)
The phrase 'British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin' has been added to the source field based on the recommendations of Digital Benin. This explicitly links the object to the capture of Benin City by British Navy Forces and members of the Nigerian Coast Protectorate Forces on 18 February 1897. Queries have also been removed from the place field and the terms 'Kingdom of Benin' and 'Benin City'.
The period field has been updated to the '14th-19th century'.
(https://digitalbenin.org/provenance/139; accessed 10.3.2023)

Event Date 27/3/2023
Author: Rachel Hand

Context (Other owners)
In July 2022, the University of Cambridge agreed to repatriate 116 artefacts, including this object, taken from Benin City by the British military in February 1897. A legal transfer of ownership to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria, took place on 27 January 2026.
The source field has been updated accordingly.
Event Date 27/1/2026
Author: Jan-Henrik Hartung

Context (Other)
One of 99 objects on deposit from the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria (pending a physical return to Nigeria).
Event Date 27/1/2026
Author: Jan-Henrik Hartung

Description (Labels & Markings)
Emwiegbe. Lost wax cast, bronze, collared leopard, standing with raised tail over it back. The leopard's spots are proud over the surface of the body. A bronze chain formed of penannular circles and figure 8s is attached to a loop on top of the head
Event Date 17/6/2026
Author: Benjamina Dadzie