Accession Number
1997/1.487

Title
Gold-weight

Artist(s)
Akan

Artist Nationality
Akan (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1900-1985

Medium & Support
brass

Dimensions
1 3/8 in x 1 3/8 in x 7/16 in (3.5 cm x 3.5 cm x 1.1 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis

Subject matter
Geometric gold-weight or lid of a gold-dust box with a double spiral pattern surrounded by a comb-like motif along two sides. This may be the lid to an adaka, a small box usually cast from brass and used to store gold-dust, called sika futura in Twi (cf. Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014). Some boxes were cast with such precision as to resemble a gold-weight, perhaps to divert attention from their contents. In some cases, gold-dust boxes could also serve as weights (cf. Phillips, African Goldweights, 2010, p. 20). Gold-dust boxes made up part of the futuo, a leather bag that kept all of the objects needed for gold transactions (cf. Phillips, African Goldweights, 2010, p. 20). The contents of the futuo were packed carefully, as they were thought of as part of the soul (or kra in Twi) of thier owner (cf. Garrard, Akan Weights and the Gold Trade, 1980, p. 178-179; Sheales, African Goldweights, 2014). 

Physical Description
Gold-weight in the shape of a hollow square base with two spirals surrounding a central, raised line. Along two of the sides there is a design of nine raised teeth. 

Primary Object Classification
Metalwork

Primary Object Type
goldweight

Collection Area
African

Rights
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Keywords
goldweights
measuring
miniature (size attribute)
weighing devices