Six goldweights: animals · Ghana, Akan · ID: 3036291
sold
EUR 250
Provenance
Jürgen & Gisela Büse, Rheinbreitbach, Germany (collected in situ, 1973-75)Size
H: 3,5 cm - 4,8 cm
H: 1.4 inch - 1.9 inch
Description
brass, with patina, two cattle (each with birds pecking vermins), two antelopes, one ram head and one porcupine, the latter missing two legs which surely had been removed on purpose in order to make the weight lighter;
concerning the porcupine there are various proverbs: “Asante are as the porcupine, if thousands are killed, thousand more will come”; “When the porcupine is going to visit a porcupine, he does not take any food with him” (When one kinsman visits another he will rely on the hospitality of his host).
Comparing literature
Graffenried von, Charlotte, Akan Goldgewichte im Bernischen Historischen Museum, Wabern-Bern 1990, p. 124