Gold Weight (abrammuo): Fish
Unknown Artist
1800s
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
2.8 × 6.6 × 0.4 cm
Classification
Implements
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William Ellery Greene
Accession Number
1961.399
About this artwork
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 weigh 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.