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Goldweight with a Geometric Design

A work made of copper alloy.

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  • A work made of copper alloy.

Date:

19th/mid–20th century

Artist:

Asante or related Akan-speaking peoples
Ghana
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Trade—especially in gold—contributed to the development of the influential states and kingdoms of the Akan-speaking people of southern Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Before 1900 gold was both an item of trade and the region’s currency. Early weights were mostly geometric and non-representational and were standardized to the Islamic systems of measurement, whereas later ones were sometimes figurative and were made into metric units. Weights using geometric and abstract designs—such as this one, made in the shape of a pyramid— were common from the 15th through the 19th centuries.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Asante

Title

Goldweight with a Geometric Design

Place

Ghana (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1800–1975

Medium

Copper alloy

Dimensions

H.: 1.1 cm (11 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Britt Family Collection

Reference Number

1978.887

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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