This petite sculpture is a sensitive rendering of the Lepitailurus Serval, a wild cat native to Africa that was worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians as a deity. The creature appears to wait pensively, its noble serenity underlining these sacred associations. Servals were kept as pets by high-ranking Egyptians such as scribes and priests; indeed, the artist herself has a domesticated serval, Mandela, who lives alongside her at her home in Switzerland. Harumi's daily observation of this enchanting animal has given her an intimate and sensitive understanding of its physical form and attributes. This knowledge has breathed life into this depiction of the animal, with ears pricked to attention and tail curled around its hind legs, giving the sculpture a domestic familiarity that alludes to its long association with humans.

The Ancient Egyptians, with their respect of the sacredness of animals and the animal form, have provided inspiration for Harumi across her artistic practice. Works such as Lepitailurus Serval I pay homage to the animal spirit that resides in us all and act as totemic entities which, like in shamanism, play a role as true masters capable of creating a bridge between nature and man, the visible and the invisible, the spirit and the earth.