COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
BCM_.84.31.46
amicoid
BCM_.84.31.46
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
2003
aly
2003
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
oty
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Object Type
false
Description:
A large brass figurative goldweight representing a hornbill. The bird has an elliptical body with concentric grooved wings, a short neck, a round head with round slit eyes, a broad flat beak which is squared at the end and there are nostrils at the base. There are a border of notched squares on each side of the head from the neck over the eyes to the nostrils and there is a short fan-shaped tail. Long round legs and large webbed 3 clawed feet each having a rear talon.
opd
A large brass figurative goldweight representing a hornbill. The bird has an elliptical body with concentric grooved wings, a short neck, a round head with round slit eyes, a broad flat beak which is squared at the end and there are nostrils at the base. There are a border of notched squares on each side of the head from the neck over the eyes to the nostrils and there is a short fan-shaped tail. Long round legs and large webbed 3 clawed feet each having a rear talon.
Description
false
Creator Nationality:
African
crc
African
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Name-CRT:
Asante, Ghana
crt
Asante, Ghana
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Goldweight (Abrammuo)
otn
Goldweight (Abrammuo)
Title
false
View:
Full view
rid
Full view
View
false
Creation Date:
1700-1900
oct
1700-1900
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
1700
ocs
1700
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
1900
oce
1900
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
Metal (brass)
omd
Metal (brass)
Materials and Techniques
false
Classification Term:
Sculpture
clt
Sculpture
Classification Term
false
Creation Place:
Ghana, Africa
ocp
Ghana, Africa
Creation Place
false
Dimensions:
Length: 1 3/4"; width: 1 1/4"
met
Length: 1 3/4"; width: 1 1/4"
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
Brooklyn Children's Museum
oon
Brooklyn Children's Museum
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
Brooklyn, New York, USA
oop
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
84.31.46
ooa
84.31.46
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Gift of Dr. Herbert S. Zim, 1984
ooc
Gift of Dr. Herbert S. Zim, 1984
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.amico.org/rights/bcm_.html"target="_new">http://www.amico.org/rights/bcm_.html</a>
Rights
false
Context:
The Asante (Ashanti) and other Akan groups made and used goldweights to weigh gold dust, their principal medium of exchange until it was abolished by the British in 1889. To the Asante, gold represented the spirit of the sun, was possessed of supernatural powers, and was considered sacred.
Each man with a commercial business owned a set of 70 or more weights and accessories, their quality indicating his status. A young man would receive his goldweight set from his father. They were all kept in a cloth or leather bundle, and the set was added to as the man prospered.
The best weights were made late in the 18th to early 19th centuries when the Asante Kingdom was at its height. Goldweights were made by the lost wax casting method. The earliest weights (1500-1700) were geometric in appearance, followed by a period of figurative weights depicting plants, animals, objects and humans (1700-1900). Weights were also cast directly from natural objects such as insects, peanuts and cocoons. Ninety percent of existing weights are geometric in form. Although the symbolism is obscure, geometric forms probably represent the sun, moon, water and procreation. Many figurative weights recall proverbs related to everyday life. Weights sometimes had to be adjusted after casting to make them conform to standards - lead fill would be added to geometric weights, and metal bands to figurative weights to make them heavier if necessary; goldweights that were too heavy could be filed down.
Each man with a commercial business owned a set of 70 or more weights and accessories, their quality indicating his status. A young man would receive his goldweight set from his father. They were all kept in a cloth or leather bundle, and the set was added to as the man prospered.
The best weights were made late in the 18th to early 19th centuries when the Asante Kingdom was at its height. Goldweights were made by the lost wax casting method. The earliest weights (1500-1700) were geometric in appearance, followed by a period of figurative weights depicting plants, animals, objects and humans (1700-1900). Weights were also cast directly from natural objects such as insects, peanuts and cocoons. Ninety percent of existing weights are geometric in form. Although the symbolism is obscure, geometric forms probably represent the sun, moon, water and procreation. Many figurative weights recall proverbs related to everyday life. Weights sometimes had to be adjusted after casting to make them conform to standards - lead fill would be added to geometric weights, and metal bands to figurative weights to make them heavier if necessary; goldweights that were too heavy could be filed down.
cxd
The Asante (Ashanti) and other Akan groups made and used goldweights to weigh gold dust, their principal medium of exchange until it was abolished by the British in 1889. To the Asante, gold represented the spirit of the sun, was possessed of supernatural powers, and was considered sacred.<br><br>Each man with a commercial business owned a set of 70 or more weights and accessories, their quality indicating his status. A young man would receive his goldweight set from his father. They were all kept in a cloth or leather bundle, and the set was added to as the man prospered.<br><br>The best weights were made late in the 18th to early 19th centuries when the Asante Kingdom was at its height. Goldweights were made by the lost wax casting method. The earliest weights (1500-1700) were geometric in appearance, followed by a period of figurative weights depicting plants, animals, objects and humans (1700-1900). Weights were also cast directly from natural objects such as insects, peanuts and cocoons. Ninety percent of existing weights are geometric in form. Although the symbolism is obscure, geometric forms probably represent the sun, moon, water and procreation. Many figurative weights recall proverbs related to everyday life. Weights sometimes had to be adjusted after casting to make them conform to standards - lead fill would be added to geometric weights, and metal bands to figurative weights to make them heavier if necessary; goldweights that were too heavy could be filed down.
Context
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
BCM_.84-31-46.tif
ril
BCM_.84-31-46.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false