Gold-weight
Akan
Description
Subject Matter:
Figurative gold-weight in the shape of a round cooking pot, called osene in Twi, the language spoken by Akan peoples in Ghana. Pots were largely made by women, who built the clay up by hand, using techniques such as coiling, pinching clay upwards from a mass, or by using slabs of clay (cf. MacLeod, The Asante, 1981, p. 157). Household tools and implements are a popular form of gold-weight, and while not only practical, these objects had symbolic importance. They were created by skilled artisans who took raw natural materials to make objects that could in turn transform the natural world, whether by building structures, cooking food, or cultivating the land (cf. Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014).
Physical Description:
Gold-weight in the shape of a spherical base surmounted by a small raised circle, attached to a cylinder with a flared rim.
Usage Rights:
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