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
- 1997/1.410
- 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
- 2.7 cm x 2.7 cm x 0.3 cm (1 1/16 in. x 1 1/16 in. x 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of four flat cubes with a geometrical pattern consiting of individual "stars", each attached to two other cubes at two of the corners.
- Subject Matter
- This example of a goldweight bearing a graphic motif might represent an amulet or a religious object whose function is unknown. Gold weights have been used in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire since the 15th century, primarily to weigh off amounts of gold dust to be used in mercantile transactions, but for other purposes as well. When the British outlawed the use of gold dust as currency at the end of the 19th century, the gold trade and the use of weights as part of this trade came to an end. However, gold weights' other uses, besides their role in trade, continued into the 20th century. For example, some gold weights were used as amulets to ward off evil and bring the wearer health or good fortune. Moreover, gold weights were also sometimes representations of the kinds of amulets or religious objects as which they were used.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- descriptors
- design elements
- geographic and political locations
- goldweights
- motifs
- 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
- 192 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.410
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.410/1997_1.410.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.410:1997_1.410.JPG
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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-1.410/1997_1.410.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.