The Seymour Panther was given to Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife, by the king from the treasury of royal beasts. Like his father before him, Henry VIII adopted the panther as a symbol to reinforce his regal lineage. The statue appears on the viewer’s left-hand side (dexter) and the coat of arms depict the Duke of Beaufort’s arms, whose family Henry VIII’s grandmother descended from. Possessing the tail of a lion and the claws of an eagle, the heraldic beast is often portrayed as angry and incensed, with fire coming from its mouth and ears.
The King's Beasts - The Lion of England
The King's Beasts - The Seymour Panther
The Seymour Panther