In the early medieval bestiary rediscovered information from classical literature about fauna and flora was assembled in a book that corresponded to the theological and creationist view of the world at that time. All of the animals were arranged in a hierarchical structure aligned with the views of the Catholic Church. At the top of the food chain was the lion, a personification of god the father, second in line was the leopard; representing Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Many scribes (monks mostly) would discuss what the leopard, an animal they only knew from hearsay, looked like. That’s how we can find depictions of leopards with star shaped patches, lined fur, from 12 to 7 different colours and in certain cases adorned with horns .

The significance of the appearance and the behaviour of the beasts were pushed to an absurd kind of significance, resulting in the most eccentric kind of symbolism.
Our eagerness to understand what surrounds us and our desire to interpret things in general makes for a a surprising psychological projection.

Saying a leopard has freckles is of course inaccurate and sets an informal tone. If you look closely to some of the freckles you may find some desires, silly jokes and naive ideas about love, pain and desire. Stories so informal like freckles appearing in the sun, you could cover them in fond de teint or sunblock, something the medieval scribes couldn’t do. Suggesting cosmetics gives a sense of humanity to the leopard, but once you’re able to read or divine the freckle scribbles you’re so close the leopard could bite you.