Goldweight in the shape of a coiled rope / Artist Unknown, African, Akan-Speaking Peoples, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.502
- Title
- Goldweight in the shape of a coiled rope
- 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 cm x 1.1 cm x 0.2 cm (1 15/16 in. x 7/16 in. x 1/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- goldweight
- Physical Description
- Goldweight in the shape of a coiled rope, tied together at the middle.
- Subject Matter
- The representation of a coiled rope or knot is common among the goldweights used and produced by Akan-speaking peoples of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. There are various proverbs associated with knots and tied ropes, which all refer to the theme of wisdom. For example, "Only the wise can untie it" and "The knot tied by a wise man cannot be untied by a fool" both refer to the difference in position or value between a person possessing greater knowledge versus a less knowledgeable person. The precise interpretation of such a proverb, and of the gold weight expressing it, depends on the context of its use. For example, such a gold weight might by a story teller to illustrate a point of the story, or by a king to mark a special occasion, or by a ruler to send a symbolic message to another chief-- in all these cases, the one goldweight might be accompanied by one or more others, and its interpretation would depend on the associations with the other weights and their proverbs. Finally, goldweights might be used by traders to weigh goldpowder used in payments for goods-- in that case, the particular "proverbial" meaning of a weight might not have been relevant at all.
- Secondary Keywords
- africa (continent)
- cord (fiber product)
- descriptors
- fiber and fiber products
- fiber products
- geographic and political locations
- goldweights
- materials
- materials by form
- materials by physical form
- 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
- 131 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.502
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.502/1997_1.502.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.502:1997_1.502.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Goldweight in the shape of a coiled rope; 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-1.502/1997_1.502.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2024.