A wonderful leopard skin rug by one of the best taxidermists of leopards of its day: Van Ingen and Van Ingen of Mysore, South India, taxidermist to the British Royals, Maharajas and all the international nobility of the time as well as film stars, viceroys and senior military men.

He was best known for tiger and leopard taxidermy, preserving their “shikar” hunting trophies in the most lifelike poses and in the utmost beauty, with attention to detail like no other in their time of operation. The snarling open mouth expression was one of his trademark qualities. The glass eyes were imported from Germany and hand painted individually by a factory workman, each pair specifically for each individual mount.

Van Ingen used to keep records of each piece he created and assign a number to it. For privacy reasons it is not possible to ascertain who was the original owner of this piece but by looking at the stencilled number (20260) on the underside of the rug we can establish that is particular example was worked around 1934. A truly remarkable item for anyone interested in taxidermy and Van Ingen’s work.

Condition: some slight fading to the fur, professionally restored

Dimensions: 200cm long, 130cm wide, 16cm high