File:Brooklyn Museum 74.218.24 Sword Gold Weight (2).jpg
Original file (525 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 106 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Captions
English: Sword Gold Weight ( ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artist |
Unknown authorUnknown author |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Title |
English: Sword Gold Weight |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description |
English: Cast brass weight in shape of a ceremonial sword. The edge of the blade is scalloped. There are two triangular perforations that pierce the blade. The handle is decorated with two circular knobs. Condition: good.
English: Gold was extremely important in the economic and political life of the Akan kingdoms of southern Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Until the mid-nineteenth century, gold dust was the primary form of currency in the region. In order to measure precise amounts of gold, an elaborate system of weights, usually made of cast brass, developed by the seventeenth century. Gold weights took many forms: simple geometric shapes; animals, such as leopards or birds; objects, such as chairs or swords; and human figures. The figures, animals, and objects are often associated with proverbs. The sankofa bird, with head turned backward, represents the proverb “One must turn to the past to move forward.” |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date |
English: 19th or 20th century |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dimensions | 3/4 x 2 15/16 in. (1.9 x 7.5 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Collection |
institution QS:P195,Q632682 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current location |
Arts of Africa collection South Gallery, 1st Floor |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accession number | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Credit line | The Franklin H. Williams Collection of Ashanti Brass Weights and Accessory Objects for Weighing Gold, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin H. Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source/Photographer | Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.218.24_bw.jpg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Permission (Reusing this file) |
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Brooklyn Museum
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other versions |
|
File history
Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
current | 09:34, 2 November 2012 | 525 × 1,536 (106 KB) | Slick-o-bot (talk | contribs) | {{Artwork | Artist = {{unknown}} | Title = {{en|Sword Gold Weight}} | Year = {{en|19th or 20th century}} | Description = {{en|Cast brass weight in shape of a ceremonial sword. The edge of the blade is scall... |
You cannot overwrite this file.
File usage on Commons
The following 2 pages use this file: