Goldweight with a geometric pattern / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.372
- Title
- Goldweight with a geometric pattern
- Artist Nationality
- Ghanaian
- Medium and Support
- brass
- Object Creation Date
- 20th century
- 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
- 2.2 cm x 1.2 cm x 0.3 cm (7/8 in. x 1/2 in. x 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight with geometric pattern consisting of a double "star" form.
- Subject Matter
- From about 1400 to 1900, Akan-speaking peoples of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire used small, portable weights for measuring gold dust. At first, the gold weights were primarily geometric, while figurative weights became popular from the 18th century onwards. According to some scholars, this Akan goldweight represents a double 8-rayed star, which might be the symbol for the planet Venus, locally known as "Afi". The star is composed of two crosses, one representing the male element and the other the female element-- together they show that the union of male and female elements is necessary for procreation.
- 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
- 118 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.372
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.372/1997_1.372.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.372:1997_1.372.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight with a geometric pattern; 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-1.372/1997_1.372.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 16, 2024.
