Goldweight in the shape of a pyramid with a bird on top / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.448
- Title
- Goldweight in the shape of a pyramid with a bird on top
- 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
- 2.3 cm x 1.7 cm x 1.8 cm (7/8 in. x 11/16 in. x 11/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a step pyramid topped by a bird.
- Subject Matter
- Akan-speaking peoples in Ghana and Cote d'Ivore have used goldweights since the 15th century, and consider them of local origin, an invention of the ancestors. Scholars frequently posit a foreign origin for the earliest goldweights, which represent a variety of geometric forms. Some figurative goldweights may also be of Islamic derivation, such as this common bird-on-a-pyramid motif, which has direct parallels in 12th-century Persian metalwork. Regardless of the origin of this particular shape of weight, it is clear that birds occupy an important symbolic position in various Akan societies. Among the Asante, the bird image is common on rings worn by elders or chiefs, on swords and linguist staffs, as well as on gold weights; moreover, bird and bird symbols are used as royal appellations and are recurrent subjects of Asante proverbs.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- geographic and political locations
- geometric concepts
- geometric figures
- goldweights
- mathematical concepts
- people and culture
- plane figures
- polyhedra
- 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
- Record
- 1997/1.448
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.448/1997_1_448.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in the shape of a pyramid with a bird on top; 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-1.448/1997_1_448.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
