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Source Description
The Asante kingdom (an Akan state in present-day Ghana) primarily derived its wealth and power from its massive gold resources. Since at least 1600, small weights in brass and bronze were used to weigh gold dust and nuggets, which were the local form of currency. The rounded, worn-down edges of this weight suggest that it was used frequently. The royal court had the most elaborate store of weights, while commoners often had about a dozen. Their imagery falls into two broad categories: geometric and representational. The latter often refers to proverbs, which used judiciously, marked a wise person.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
137316
label
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Geometric Form
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
137316
contentType
object
title
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Geometric Form
description
The Asante kingdom (an Akan state in present-day Ghana) primarily derived its wealth and power from its massive gold resources. Since at least 1600, small weights in brass and bronze were used to weigh gold dust and nuggets, which were the local form of currency. The rounded, worn-down edges of this weight suggest that it was used frequently. The royal court had the most elaborate store of weights, while commoners often had about a dozen. Their imagery falls into two broad categories: 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
Q80031856
genreSpecific
Tools and Equipment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 2.4 x 1.4 x 1.2 cm (15/16 x 9/16 x 1/2 in.)
cul
Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Akan-style artist
accession
1962.244
Source extras
tec
Copper alloy
tombstone
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Geometric Form, 1800s. Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Akan-style artist. Copper alloy; overall: 2.4 x 1.4 x 1.2 cm (15/16 x 9/16 x 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Hornung, 1962.244
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Geometric forms were the earliest shapes used for gold weights.
citations
citation
Sims, Lowery Stokes. <em>The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 34, no. 38
creditline
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Hornung
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:00:35.518000
sourceId
137316
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Copper alloy
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
37026d436cf03740