Goldweight with a Geometric Pattern

AsanteWW-1700-142534

1700·Copper alloy·0.3 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (1/8 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in.)

<p>Weights for measuring gold dust were made and used throughout Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire for more than five centuries, from about 1400 to 1900. These weights are either figurative or abstract and are usually divided into an early period (c. 1400–1700) and a late period (c. 1700–1900). During the late period, an increased variety and number of figurative and abstract weights emerged, although abstract weights continued to be the most common.<br>This gold weight is almost a perfect square and displays a gridded diagonal pattern across its surface. In addition to gold weights, other apparatuses used in the time-consuming process of weighing gold included scales, spoons, shovels, storage boxes, and brushes.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1700
Medium: Copper alloy
Dimensions: 0.3 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (1/8 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 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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