Object Details
- Label Text
- Until the end of the 19th century, gold dust was used in business transactions by the Asante and related peoples in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. An individual would need to own a set of weights and a scale. Gold dust was tied in a twist of cloth and stored in small metal boxes. Most common were cast copper alloy examples with decorated lids that resembled the designs found on geometric weights.
- Description
- Cast copper alloy rectangular box with lid. Box has comb pattern border on narrow ends, enclosing ten rows of triangular or zigzag linear patterns.
- Provenance
- Mr. and Mrs. Emil Arnold, New York, -- to 1975
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Akan artist
- Date
- 18th-late 19th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Emil J. Arnold in memory of her husband
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 1.9 x 7.3 x 3.2 cm (3/4 x 2 7/8 x 1 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
