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
- 1997/1.394
- Title
- Goldweight with a geometric pattern
- 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
- 1.2 cm x 0.9 cm x 0.8 cm (1/2 in. x 3/8 in. x 5/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a square base, with a geometric pattern on top.
- Subject Matter
- Goldweights such as this one have been produced by the Asante and other Akan-speaking peoples for at least four centuries. They were already in use on the coast when the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century and remained in use until the British outlawed the gold trade and the use of gold dust as a currency at the end of the 19th century. In 1896 it even became illegal to use gold weights, and their production declined greatly. However, gold weights remained widely available in the local markets in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire throughout the 20th century and have long been a popular collector's item.
- 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
- 106 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.394
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.394/1997_1.394.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.394:1997_1.394.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-1.394/1997_1.394.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
