Goldweight [Bird] 19th-20th century

This is a cast brass goldweight in the form of a bird, made by an Akan artist in present-day Ghana. The Akan people, known for their sophisticated metalworking, used these weights to measure gold dust, the primary currency in the pre-colonial era. But these weights were more than just tools for trade; they were potent symbols. The bird pecking its own back might represent self-reliance or the importance of inner reflection. The very act of weighing gold embodied concepts of justice, honesty, and social equilibrium. The weight’s production happened within a culture steeped in proverbs and visual metaphors, where even commercial transactions were laden with moral and social meaning. As historians, we delve into Akan oral traditions, social structures, and economic practices to fully understand the significance of this object. The goldweight invites us to think about how art is embedded in the social and institutional contexts of its time.