Goldweight with a Geometric Design

Brass-cast 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 20th centuries. The gold weights—made of a copper alloy—enabled merchants to carry out trade with towns of the West African Sahel, North Africa and later, with the Portuguese and the Dutch. 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. This weight shows signs of extensive wear and use, suggesting that it may be from an early period, probably some time between 1500 and 1720. Its composition consists of two concentric squares and a singular lattice form placed centrally and prominently in the center.