Carved & Painted Leopard Fragment

Spectacular paint decorated antique fragmentary leopard carving with bright yellow body and fuzzy black spots. Hypnotizing dull-green and black eyes outlined with a red that verges on fluorescent. The same bright color decorates the lips of its closed mouth. Given its diminutive size, this level of detail implies that this carving was intended to be seen at close distance.

In addition to a distinctly non-North American wood species, its painted lotus blossom spots betrays it as Southeast Asian in origin. Guessing from the extent of oxidation visible on its broken limbs, it probably dates to around the turn of the 20th century.

A friend suggested it possibly once embellished a palanquin (litter) but – from a few quick searches – I haven’t personally found similar ornamentation.