File:Brooklyn Museum 74.218.62 Gold Weight Representing Hunter or Warrior.jpg
Original file (1,068 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 137 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Captions
English: Gold Weight Representing Hunter or Warrior ( ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Artist |
Unknown authorUnknown author |
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Title |
English: Gold Weight Representing Hunter or Warrior |
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Description |
English: Cast brass weight in shape of a warrior holding a gun on his left side. His right arm is raised and hand touches abdomen. His coiffure is composed of seven coiled 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.” |
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Date |
19th century date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7 |
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Dimensions | 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (4.4 x 3.8 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Collection |
institution QS:P195,Q632682 |
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Current location |
Arts of Africa collection South Gallery, 1st Floor |
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Accession number | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Credit line | The Franklin H. Williams Collection of Ashanti Brass Weights and Accessory Objects for Weighing Gold, Gift of Mrs. and Mrs. Franklin H. Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes |
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Source/Photographer | Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.218.62_bw.jpg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Permission (Reusing this file) |
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Brooklyn Museum
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current | 10:52, 2 November 2012 | 1,068 × 1,536 (137 KB) | Slick-o-bot (talk | contribs) | {{Artwork | Artist = {{unknown}} | Title = {{en|Gold Weight Representing Hunter or Warrior}} | Year = {{other_date|century|19}} | Description = {{en|Cast brass weight in shape of a warrior holding a gun on ... |
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