Goldweight with a Geometric Design

AsanteWW-1700-142572

1700·Copper alloy·0.6 × 1.8 × 1.5 cm (1/4 × 3/4 × 5/8 in.)

<p>This rectangular brass-cast gold weight is crisscrossed by the swastika form, with two extra horizontal lines added to each of the arms. The designs of gold weights are incredibly diverse—consisting of simple geometric designs in either high or low relief to representational sculptural forms based on items essential to West African life. Gold weights were used to measure gold dust, the local currency in the Akan-speaking regions of southern Ghana and the Ivory Coast between the 15th and the 20th centuries.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1700
Medium: Copper alloy
Dimensions: 0.6 × 1.8 × 1.5 cm (1/4 × 3/4 × 5/8 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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