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Asante

Goldweight with a Geometric Design

18th/19th century
Copper alloy
1.8 × 1.5 cm (0.7 × 0.6 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This rectangular brass-cast gold weight is crisscrossed by the swastika form, with two extra horizontal lines added to each of the arms. The designs of gold weights are incredibly diverse—consisting of simple geometric designs in either high or low relief to representational sculptural forms based on items essential to West African life. Gold weights were used to measure gold dust, the local currency in the Akan-speaking regions of southern Ghana and the Ivory Coast between the 15th and the 20th centuries.

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