Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
Figurative gold-weight in the shape of a bird, possibly a fowl, with flat coiled wings and a fan-shaped tail. According to Sheales, "birds had great symbolic importance for the Akan because they transcended the boundary between heaven and earth" (cf. Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014). One example of a proverb (often attached to cockerels) that might be applicable states, "When the feathers of a fowl grow, they still remain attached to its body", meaning that though the subjects of a chief may prosper, they still owe him their allegiance (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 204).
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of a sloping, pointed head attached to a round base with a triangular tail. The left and right sides of the middle are decorated with semi-circles bisected by a vertical line.
Usage Rights:
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