Goldweight with a Geometric Design

AsanteWW-1700-142565

1700·Copper alloy·0.9 × 1.7 × 2.4 cm (1/4 × 11/16 × 1 in.)

<p>Brass-cast gold weights were used to measure gold dust, the local currency in the Akan-speaking regions of southern Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire between the 15th and 20th centuries. Made of a copper alloy, the gold weights enabled merchants to trade with towns in the Sahel region and North Africa and later with the Portuguese and the Dutch.</p> <p>The designs of gold weights are incredibly diverse, from simple geometries to designs referencing local proverbs. When gold weights fell out of use in the 20th century—gold was replaced by bank notes and coinage—artisans continued to make them for the tourist market.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1700
Medium: Copper alloy
Dimensions: 0.9 × 1.7 × 2.4 cm (1/4 × 11/16 × 1 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Asante

Artist

Asante

Asante is both an Ashanti surname and a masculine Ashanti given name. Notable people with the Ashanti name include:

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