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Source Description
The wealth and power of the Asante kingdom was derived primarily from its massive gold resources. Since at least 1600, small weights in brass and bronze were used to weight gold dust and nuggets. The royal court had the most elaborate store of weights, while commoners often had about a dozen. Their imagery falls into two broad cateogries: geometric and representational. The latter often refers to proverbs, which used judiciously, marked a wise person.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
144632
label
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Drum with Jaws of Defeated Enemies
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
144632
contentType
object
title
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Drum with Jaws of Defeated Enemies
description
The wealth and power of the Asante kingdom was derived primarily from its massive gold resources. Since at least 1600, small weights in brass and bronze were used to weight gold dust and nuggets. The royal court had the most elaborate store of weights, while commoners often had about a dozen. Their imagery falls into two broad cateogries: geometric and representational. The latter often refers to proverbs, which used judiciously, marked a wise person.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79922070
genreSpecific
Tools and Equipment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 3.6 x 5.3 cm (1 7/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
cul
Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Asante goldsmith
accession
1969.266
Source extras
tec
Brass
tombstone
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Drum with Jaws of Defeated Enemies, 1800s. Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Asante goldsmith. Brass; overall: 3.6 x 5.3 cm (1 7/16 x 2 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas, 1969.266
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Representations of human jawbones surround the edge of this gold weight.
creditline
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin N. Haas
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:25:48.556000
sourceId
144632
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Brass
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
5cb6a6426a4e1aaf