Object Details
Description
These brass weights were used by the Akan people of modern day Ghana and the Ivory Coast for measuring gold dust between the late thirteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were cast into geometric shapes and figures of animals and people. These weights set a standard for measuring gold dust and made it easier to use gold dust as currency. The weights’ varied forms reflect Akan culture as well as cultural interaction between West African, North African, and European traders over five centuries.
Credit Line
National Museum of African Art
date made
19th century
ID Number
1985.0797.1
catalog number
1985.0797.1
accession number
1985.0797
Object Name
weight
Other Terms
weight; Africa; Ghana, Akan
Physical Description
metal, (overall material)
brass/gray (overall color)
cast (overall production method/technique)
Measurements
overall: 4.9 cm x 3.85 cm x 1.6 cm; 1 15/16 in x 1 17/32 in x 5/8 in
place used
Ghana
Related Publication
Feingold, Ellen R.. Value of Money, The
See more items in
Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
West African Currency
Exhibition
Value of Money
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1068515