File:Brooklyn Museum 88.192.66 Gold Weight.jpg
Original file (1,536 × 1,154 pixels, file size: 106 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Captions
English: Gold Weight ( ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Artist |
Unknown authorUnknown author |
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Title |
English: Gold Weight |
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Description |
English: Weight depicting scorpion, triangular-shaped body, top incised with intersecting vertical and horizontal lines. Pairs of narrow, joined metal strips curve up and inward, suggesting pinchers. Metal strip curves up and downward from apex of triangle, representing the tail. CONDITION: Stable; conservation has removed sticky wax from underside.
English: Gold was extremely important in the economic and political life of the Akan kingdoms of southern Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Until the mid-nineteenth century, gold dust was the primary form of currency in the region. In order to measure precise amounts of gold, an elaborate system of weights, usually made of cast brass, developed by the seventeenth century. Gold weights took many forms: simple geometric shapes; animals, such as leopards or birds; objects, such as chairs or swords; and human figures. The figures, animals, and objects are often associated with proverbs. The sankofa bird, with head turned backward, represents the proverb “One must turn to the past to move forward.” |
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Date |
English: 19th-20th century |
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Dimensions | 1 1/4 x 1/8in. (3.2 x 0.3cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Collection |
institution QS:P195,Q632682 |
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Current location |
Arts of Africa collection South Gallery, 1st Floor |
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Accession number | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Credit line | Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin H. Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes |
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Source/Photographer | Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 88.192.66_PS6.jpg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Permission (Reusing this file) |
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Brooklyn Museum
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Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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current | 10:15, 2 November 2012 | 1,536 × 1,154 (106 KB) | Slick-o-bot (talk | contribs) | {{Artwork | Artist = {{unknown}} | Title = {{en|Gold Weight}} | Year = {{en|19th-20th century}} | Description = {{en|Weight depicting scorpion, triangular-shaped body, top incised with intersecting vertical... |
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Date and time of data generation | 12:33, 7 July 2011 |
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