Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
Gold-weight in the shape of a seed pod, possibly a piece of a ground-nut (cf. British Museum object number Af1947,13.20) or possibly a seed pod of the castorbean plant (cf. Niangoran-Bouah, The Akan World of Gold Weights, Vol. 2, p. 59). As a gold-weight in the form of an object from nature, it is likely a direct cast. A proverb associated with the ground-nut is: 'If you want to grow something for me, plant ground-nuts, not corn'. This proverb indicates a desire for a permanent relationship, as ground-nuts remain in the soil once planted, but corn in easily uprooted and destroyed (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 208).
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of a sphere covered in raised dots, with a short stem at one end.
Usage Rights:
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