Goldweight with geometric pattern with XX in center / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1986/2.137
- Title
- Goldweight with geometric pattern with XX in center
- 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)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Milford Golden
- Dimensions
- 3 cm x 2.5 cm (1 3/16 in. x 1 in.)
- Century
- Possibly 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a square, with a geometric pattern with a double "X" form in the center and edged teeth along two sides.
- Subject Matter
- This is an example of a geometric goldweight, as they were used and produced by Akan-speaking peoples in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire between 1400 and 1900. Goldweights have long intrigued Western visitors to the region and are popular collectors' items; they have been objects of scholarly inquiry by European scholars since the beginning of the 17th century. Yet the multiplicity of meanings inscribed in these goldweights, sometimes associated with proverbs, goes beyond a simple equation of a particular form with a particular meaning, and includes the varied contexts in which the objects were used (from trade exchanges to court rituals), the conjunction with other weights, and the social position and relationship of the person using the weight for a particular audience.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- descriptors
- design elements
- geographic and political locations
- goldweights
- motifs
- visual and tactile
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 3888 x 2592
- File Size
- 292 KB
- Record
- 1986/2.137
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1986-sl-2.137/1986_2.137.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1986-SL-2.137:1986_2.137.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight with geometric pattern with XX in center; 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-1986-sl-2.137/1986_2.137.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
