Accession Number
1986/2.129

Title
Gold-weight

Artist(s)
Akan

Artist Nationality
Akan (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1900-1985

Medium & Support
brass

Dimensions
2 1/2 in x 1 1/8 in x 3/16 in (6.3 cm x 2.8 cm x 0.4 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Milford Golden

Subject matter
Figurative gold-weight in the form of a flat circular fan, called papa in Twi, the Akan language spoken in Ghana (cf. British Museum object number Af1947,13.245). Modelled after high status objects used by high ranking men and women, fans were often made of woven wicker frames, then decorated with luxurious textiles. These fans would have been used by attendants of elite men and women to keep them cool in the tropical environment of what is today Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (cf. Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014). 

Physical Description
Gold-weight in the shape of a flat, circular base with a spiral design attached to a thin, cylindrical handle. Where the circular base attaches to handle, there is a semi-circular overlap with horizontal grooves. 

Primary Object Classification
Metalwork

Primary Object Type
goldweight

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
fans (costume accessories)
goldweights
measuring
miniature (size attribute)
social status
symbols of office or status
weighing devices