This finely cast brass gold weight depicts a typical, open-work Akan stool with a three-stepped square base. Stools are significant in Akan culture, and are used in a variety of contexts.
In the late fourteenth-century, the Akan developed a system of using cast brass weights for measuring gold dust, their main currency, which remained in use until the late 1800s. 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 Century
H: 4cm
W: 5.5cm
References
British Museum, 'Gold-Weight'
Royal Museums Greenwich, 'Akan Gold Weight'
Art Institute of Chicago, 'Ceremonial Stool'
(Click on images to enlarge)
