Goldweight in the shape of an axe / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.462
- Title
- Goldweight in the shape of an axe
- 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
- 5.9 cm x 2.5 cm x 0.3 cm (2 5/16 in. x 1 in. x 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a simple axe.
- Subject Matter
- Farming tools are a fairly common motif among figurative Akan goldweights, such as this one in the shape of an axe. The axe that is typical for the Asante region in Ghana (and parts of Côte d'Ivoire) consists of a handle that is ticker at one end, through which the blacksmith has mounted an iron blade. Axes like these were used to fell of trees and chop wood.
- At the same time, the representation of an axe as a goldweight may be associated with a number of proverbs and the role of the axe as a symbol in Akan society. Proverbs such as "Whatever problem you meet on the way, does it need an axe to cut it?" point to the axe as a symbol of peace. Yet such symbolism might easily be misunderstood, as in the case where the King of the Asante sent a golden axe to the British colonial rulers in 1881 and the British had a hard time figuring out what the Asante meant to say by sending this particular object.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- cutting equipment
- cutting tools
- equipment
- equipment by process
- geographic and political locations
- goldweights
- objects we use
- tools and equipment
- 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
- 1997/1.462
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.462/1997_1_462.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in the shape of an axe; 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-1.462/1997_1_462.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
