Goldweight in the shape of a fowl's head / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.469
- Title
- Goldweight in the shape of a fowl's head
- 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
- 1.5 cm x 2.7 cm x 0.6 cm (9/16 in. x 1 1/16 in. x 1/4 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of the head of a chicken.
- Subject Matter
- This figurative goldweight in the shape of a fowl's head is associated with a number of proverbs among the various Akan-speaking peoples of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. For example, one proverb states "How big is a fowl's head that they should be striking at it"-- which means that the head is not big enough to warrant one hitting it, at least if one doesn't want to kill the fowl altogether! Thus, this proverb (and the gold weight representing it) might caution the appropriate use of force and warn against the dangers of excessive force. Alternatively, in another context, this gold weight might be associated with the proverb, "If you have no child, it is yourself who will eat the chicken's head"-- meaning that a childless person must look after him or her self and has no help to call on. Indeed, many of the Akan gold weights that are linked to proverbs (primarily those depicting humans, animals, and some artifacts) can be "read" in more than one way, especially when the weight represents only one object or person in isolation.
- Primary Keywords
- chickens
- 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
- 150 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.469
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.469/1997_1.469.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.469:1997_1.469.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in the shape of a fowl's head; 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-1.469/1997_1.469.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 18, 2024.