This finely cast gold weight depicts an Akan ceremonial sword with a twisted handle and motif of a figurative head with spiralled horns. Produced by Akan goldsmiths between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries for the purpose of measuring gold dust, bronze gold weights could also be worn as charms to cure ailments, gifted with dowries of gold dust or sent as pertinent messages. Proverbs depicted in the form of the weight could provide a piece of advice, recall a debt, serve as a warning or token of friendship.
Estimated Period: 18th–19th Century
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