Images shows clay original before casting.
Bronze, Signed Hamish Mackie
Numbered Edition of 12
Dated 2025
28cm high x 17cm deep x 16cm wide / approx 11″ x 6.5″ x 6″ including 12cm high Kilkenny limestone base
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£TBC inc. VATLeopards are among the most elusive of all wild creatures and, for me, one of the most inspiring subjects to sculpt. I love the challenge of capturing their fluid, feline movements in a composition. They have both an incredible power and a sublime elegance, particularly in moments of stealth. It is that fine balance of strength, grace and secrecy that continues to draw me back to them.
I have studied leopards with AfriCat in Namibia and more recently in Tanzania with Nomad. Our guide, Joel, had an uncanny ability to find big cats – often when I was distracted by more regular subjects to sculpt. In March 2025, I returned from the Serengeti with a wealth of unexpected leopard inspiration, having been fortunate enough to experience near National Geographic–level sightings. These encounters became the foundation for my 2025 Leopard Series.
Nomad’s Lamai Camp lies close to the southern banks of the infamous Mara River, prime leopard territory scattered with rocky kopjes that provide perfect cover. A female leopard had been spotted resting high in a sycamore fig tree beside her oribi kill.
Joel knew exactly where to position the Land Cruiser, which I was using as my mobile studio. With the engine switched off, we waited. As dusk approached, she began to descend, climbing with astonishing agility. That moment led directly to my sculptures Leopard Jumping Out of a Tree and Leopard Climbing Down a Tree.
With a full belly, the mother leopard set off to find her cubs. I watched her travel nearly a kilometre, frequently using fallen trees and boulders as elevated lookout points along the way and those observations inspired my Leopard Lookout sculpture.
It was known that she had two cubs, hidden carefully as leopard cubs carry little scent and are vulnerable to predators such as hyena. As daylight faded, she had still not found them and we left with an uneasy sense of uncertainty about their fate.
With joy the following morning, we found the mother leopard with one cub. The cub was a playful bundle of camouflaged mischief, possibly only a few weeks old, already practising the skills it would rely on later in life. Watching it pounce on a defenceless stick, clambering with surprising agility to retrieve it just yards from where we sat, gave me a real understanding of this plucky young creature. I was also able to capture some invaluable reference images, which became the basis for Leopard Cub Head Study.
