This gold weight, which has been beautifully cast into the form of a miniature drum, archives an Akan musical instrument in brass. Spiral shapes feature on both sides of the drum, and the goldsmith has taken care to represent the details of rope patterning which decorate the instrument's body.
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: 17th/18th Century
H: 1.3cm
W: 3cm
References
Tom Phillips, 'African Goldweights: Miniature Sculptures from Ghana 1400-1900' (2010), pp. 128-129.
Royal Museums Greenwich, 'Akan Gold Weight'
(Click on images to enlarge)
