BENIN BRONZE RECUMBENT LEOPARD, 14cm long Note: Bronze working was originally thought to have been brought to Benin by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, although examples considerably older than that both from here and in Nigeria have since been attested. The punitive expedition to Benin City in 1897 saw the massacre of these peoples and the end of their traditional bronze workings. This is an early example with some of the wax from the ‘lost wax’ method still adhering to the body. This is one of four bronzes from the collection and the only one for sale. Provenance: Collection of Julien Harris (1910-2011) - see lot 1066.