The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Lion

c. 1940s

Africa, West Africa, Republic of Benin, Fon-style maker

wood
Overall: 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 1965.323.2
Location: Not on view

Description

This lion, in the style of the Donvidé School founded by Aqueminon Donvidé in 1909, 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 possesed 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 nineteenth-century king Glele, were borrowed from European heraldry sources since 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
  • Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=Lion|url=false|author=|year=c. 1940s|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.323.2