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Goldweight with a Geometric Design

A work made of copper alloy.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of copper alloy.

Date:

18th/19th century

Artist:

Asante or related Akan-speaking peoples
Ghana
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Brass gold weights were used to measure gold dust, the local currency in the Akan-speaking regions of southern Ghana and the Ivory Coast before the 20th century. This small, square weight has a relatively tall base and consists of a raised abstract rectangle with four linear pieces removed. It is a striking and dynamic composition in its simplicity and clean geometry. While interpretations of such abstract patterns are speculative, some do have parallels in architecture and textile design. Many probably relate to West African cultural items such as Adinkra symbols or are abstract interpretations of plants and animals.

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.

1700–1899

Medium

Copper alloy

Dimensions

1 × 1.8 × 2.1 cm (3/8 × 11/16 × 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Britt Family Collection

Reference Number

1978.911

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/54039/manifest.json

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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