Goldweight with a Geometric Design

AsanteWW-1700-142568

1700·Copper alloy·0.7 × 1.5 × 2.3 cm (1/4 × 9/16 × 7/8 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. This rectangular gold weight features two “comb” motifs facing opposite directions, separated by a generous gap with deeply incised lines running through the middle of the weight. The use of the “comb” design suggests that this piece was made sometime between 1700 and 1900.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1700
Medium: Copper alloy
Dimensions: 0.7 × 1.5 × 2.3 cm (1/4 × 9/16 × 7/8 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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