Goldweight in shape of a hen's foot / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
Viewer
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.465
- Title
- Goldweight in shape of a hen's foot
- 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 3.7 cm x 2.6 cm (1 1/16 in. x 1 7/16 in. x 1 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a three forked branches with rounded tops, attached to a short stump.
- Subject Matter
- Akan goldweights, which were made in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire from the early 15th through the late 19th century, come in two basic kinds: abstract or geometric forms, and figurative shapes. This example, however, seems to defy this categorization, as the varying interpretations of goldweights very similar to this one seems to suggest. This weight could be a representation of a wooden backrest of the kind that the chief would use instead of a chair in times of mourning (in this case, the short end would stand on the floor, with the three longer branches pointing upward). Alternatively, this weight could be a stylized rendering of a chicken's foot-- other examples would sometimes be cast directly off a real-life model. Finally, this shape might represent a limb forking into three branches, or an indigenous religious object, whose function isn't clearly known.
- Primary Keywords
- ghana (nation)
- 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
- 160 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.465
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.465/1997_1.465.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.465:1997_1.465.JPG
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in shape of a hen's foot; 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-1.465/1997_1.465.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
