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Akan gold weight, Hen and two chicks

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Akan gold weight, Hen and two chicks

Akan gold weight, Hen and two chicks

Place of OriginGhana
Daten.d.
DimensionsH: 2 3/16 in. (55.07cm); L: 1 7/8 in. (4.7 cm); W: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm); Weight: 68.35 grams
MediumBrass.
ClassificationMetalwork
Credit LineGift of the Popplestone Family
Object number
2006.78
Not on View
Label TextGold was the basis of Ashanti prosperity from the 14th through the 19th centuries. Miniature sculptures served as weights to measure gold dust on balance scales. Each trader, chief, and family head kept a small bag filled with his own weights, both for verifying accuracy and for the pleasure of assembling “exhibitions” of tiny sculptures as part of each bargain. Ashanti art often incorporates messages and proverbs. The meaning of the sculpture of two human figures is not yet certain, but it might be “A blind man does not show the way to a blind man.”

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