Goldweight in a geometric shape / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.393
- Title
- Goldweight in a geometric shape
- 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. James and Vivian Curtis
- Dimensions
- 1.6 cm x 1.5 cm x 1.4 cm (5/8 in. x 9/16 in. x 9/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a geometric figure.
- Subject Matter
- Goldweights in geometric shapes (such as this one) or with geometric patterns are the most common form Akan goldweights take. Often, three quarts of the weights in a king's "dja" or "futuo" (goldweighing equipment) would consist of geometric shapes, while the "dja" or "futuo" of commoners would normally consist entirely of geometric weights. Besides the gold weights, a person's "dja" or "futuo" would include a balance, scales, boxes for gold dust, spoons, and brushes-- all the tools necessary to weigh gold dust. Among most Akan-speaking peoples a young man would receive this "toolkit" (called "dja" in Cote d'Ivoire and "futuo" or "samaa" in Ghana) from his father when he came of age.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- associated concepts
- geographic and political locations
- geometric concepts
- goldweights
- mathematical concepts
- people and culture
- scientific concepts
- 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
- 138 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.393
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.393/1997_1.393.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.393:1997_1.393.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in a geometric shape; 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-1997-sl-1.393/1997_1.393.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.
