Goldweight in the shape of a man / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1985/2.42
Title
Goldweight in the shape of a man
Artist Nationality
Ghanaian
Medium and Support
brass
Object Creation Date
1900-1985
Object Creation Place
Africa (continent)
Akan (historical region)
Creation Place 1
Africa (continent)
Creation Place 2
Akan (historical region)
Dimensions
8.7 cm x 2.2 cm x 2.4 cm (3 7/16 in. x 7/8 in. x 15/16 in.)
Century
20th century
Primary Object Classification
Metalwork
Primary Object Type
goldweight
Physical Description
Goldweight in the shape of a man with a large head, tilted slightly backwards, on a thick, heavy neck, and topped by hair or headgear in the shape of a ball; the face has protruding eyes and nose, and the mouth holds a snake-like animal above a small beard (goatee). The figure is wearing a loincloth and holds a short stick under the left arm as well as two small jars in the hands.
Goldweights are small objects cast from brass used to weigh out quantities of gold and gold dust. They are cast using a lost-wax casting technique, wherein wax is sculpted into the desired shape and a mold is pressed around the wax model. Then, the mold is heated and the wax drained out, leaving a void in the shape of the original wax model. Liquid brass is poured into the mold and allowed to set before the caster cracks the mold open and retrieves the finished goldweight.
Subject Matter
From about 1400 to 1900, the Asante and related Akan-speaking peoples of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire used small, portable weights for measuring out units of gold dust. At first, the gold weights were primarily geometric, following North African, European and Middle Eastern examples. From the 18th century onwards, figurative weights became popular, although geometric weights continued to be made too. This weight is a figurative weight, but it is not clear whether there was a particular meaning (often in the form of a proverb) attached to this piece.
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Technical Details

Image Size
3888 x 2592
File Size
211 KB
Record
1985/2.42
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.42/1985_2.42.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1985-SL-2.42:1985_2.42.JPG

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"Goldweight in the shape of a man; Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.42/1985_2.42.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 02, 2024.
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