This exquisite example of Neopalatial stone carving was discovered in the palace at Malia. It is a head for a scepter, shaped like a leopard in the front and like a double axe in the back. The animal is rendered in « flying gallop » - that is running with its front paws outstretched. The head is rendered with plasticity and liveliness, while the body is covered with incised four-part spirals, zig zags and circles representing fur. Around the neck and shoulders is a band with small vertical incisions. This scepter, which combines the two symbols of religious and political power of the Minoan kings, the axe and the leopard, is unique in its kind.