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View at the museum ↗Goldweight Depicting a Bird
Asante19th/mid–20th century
- Attribution
- Asante or related Akan-speaking peoples Ghana Coastal West Africa
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Physical dimensions
- 2.5 × 1.3 × 4.5 cm (1 × 1/2 × 1 3/4 in.)
- Credit line
- Gift of Muriel Kallis Newman
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View the museum record ↗From the museum
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 weights emerged, although abstract weights continued to be made. Although used in economic transactions, the individual pieces could also function symbolically as indicators of wealth when placed on display. Many types of animals, birds, and reptiles are represented in Akan proverb gold weights; the bird is a common symbol of communication and wisdom in many West African societies. This weight is cast in the form of a bird standing on two legs with an elongated neck, a narrow beak, a flat tail, and an intertwined body and wings. Its body is textured with rough hatch marks.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0