[4] In terms of specific imagery, leopards are identifying figures to represent the Oba of Benin as a competent and dominant force in their territory.

The innate value of these materials within Benin and the time and skill that is invested in working them reflect the earthly and otherworldly influence of the Oba and the great wealth of his kingdom.

Through time, rulers have used the arts to interpret the history of the kingdom and to orient themselves with the past in an effort to support their own initiatives and define their images for posterity.

[13] A newly installed Oba is responsible for creating an altar dedicated to his father, commissioning the appropriate objects to adorn it and activating it on a regular basis with sacrifices of food or animal blood.

Associated with trade, ivory and brass are durable and valuable, and their colors—white like sacred kaolin clay and red like fire and coral beads—relate to royal power.

The hand is associated with action and productivity, and is considered the source of wealth, status, and success for all those who depend on manual skill and physical strength.

In the past, an elaborate series of rites were performed throughout the year to secure otherworldly support for the kingdom's well-being and to celebrate decisive events in its history.

For the sake of convenience, the current monarch, Oba Ewuare II, emphasizes the end-of-year festival called Igue,[22] which is held during the winter holidays to allow the greatest number of people to attend.

Typically, the central image is the Oba in coral regalia supported by the high priests Osa and Osuan, officials who tend the altars of the kingdom's two patron gods.

The Oba gently taps the ivory instrument, creating a rhythmic sound to calm and dismiss unruly spirits from the kingdom.

[26] Along with its traits, the Oba adopted sayings such as how a leopard's spots can not wash away in the rain, relating to how human nature is essentially steadfast.

[26][28] For instance, a surviving Benin plaque from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, shows the Oba holding the tail of a leopard in each hand to demonstrate his vigor and dominion to symbolize his standing as King.

[30] Leopard accessories were an indication of status in the Kingdom of Benin as only the king and prestigious generals and high-ranking officials were permitted to wear or display them.

His coral crowns, shirts, aprons, necklaces, and accessories refer to those that Oba Ewuare is said to have stolen from Olokun, the god of the waters and prosperity.

Coral and red stones such as jasper and agate are also filled with supernatural energy, or ase, as are elephant ivory and brass, two other valuable materials that the Oba has historically controlled.

He must rely on others to fulfill his destiny, a dependence that is physically expressed when he walks or sits with his arms supported at the elbows and wrists by attendants.

[46] In late 2021 the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington DC removed the Benin bronzes that they have from display and they say they have plans to repatriate them.

[49] Today the Benin kingdom, located now in modern day Nigeria, is asking for its art objects back, which are spread across Western Countries such as Britain, Germany, and the United States.

[49] In 2007, western museums joined Nigeria in the "Benin Dialogue Group" [50] to open discussion about the retrieval of the art pieces.

[49] The state of Nigeria believes that it has the rightful claim to the artwork, but many fear that corruption and mismanagement in Nigerian governments, citing, for instance, the 1973 incident when the head of state at the time, General Yakubu Gowon, walked into the Nigerian National Museum in Lagos and took one of the Benin heads and gifted it to Queen Elizabeth; that piece remains today in the Royal Collection of Britain.