Aquamanile Figure (Uru)

"The Benin leopard aquamanile is a masterpiece of symbolic duality—its hollow body containing ritual water for cleansing, while its feline form embodies the Oba's ferocity. The hinged lid on the leopard's head transforms this vessel into a metaphysical 'gateway,' where liquid offerings could symbolically enter the spirit world through the mouth of royal power."

— Paula Girshick Ben-Amos, The Art of Benin (1995), p. 104.