The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 25, 2025

Pair of Lions

c. 1940s

Africa, West Africa, Republic of Benin, Fon style, unknown carver

wood
Part 1: 36 x 53.4 x 17.8 cm (14 3/16 x 21 x 7 in.); Part 2: 36 x 59.8 x 21.6 cm (14 3/16 x 23 9/16 x 8 1/2 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Ralph M. Coe in memory of Ralph M. Coe 1965.323
Location: Not on view

Description

In the style of the Donvidé school founded by Aqueminon Donvidé in 1909, this lion was created for the royal family at Abomey as well as for French colonial officials and foreign visitors. Rulers of the powerful Fon kingdom of Dahomey possessed objects that glorified their military might and spiritual power. Each object had visual symbols or crests recalling a praise or "strong name" of its owner. Powerful lions with full manes, symbolic of the 19th-century king Glele, were borrowed from European heraldry sources because no lions existed in this part of West Africa. Metaphorically, the lions alluded to Glele's victories over his enemies.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 303 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 303 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 411 archive.org
    Hovaguimian, Vroni. Images and Words. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. Reproduced: p. 98
    Smith, Fred T., Judith Perani, Joseph L. Underwood, and Martha J. Ehrlich. The Visual Arts of Africa : Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 179-180, no. 6.20
  • Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
    Year in Review: 1965. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27-November 14, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Pair of Lions|url=false|author=|year=c. 1940s|access-date=25 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.323