Akan Gold Weight and Weighing Set, Asante Culture, Ghana – Brass and Copper, 7 Pieces

This seven-piece Akan gold weight and weighing ensemble, attributed to the Asante culture of present-day Ghana, comprises cast brass weights, a balance scale with suspension pans, and a brass gold-dust container. Such sets were integral to the pre-colonial gold economy of the Akan states, where measured quantities of gold dust functioned as currency in regional and long-distance trade. The sculptural weights reflect the geometric and abstract typologies characteristic of Akan metrology.

The elements are hand cast in brass and copper alloys using the lost-wax process, with incised surface ornament visible on several examples. Surface patina and wear are consistent with age and handling. Complete groupings with scale and container are increasingly scarce on the market and remain of sustained interest to collectors of West African material culture and early monetary systems.

Circa: 19th–early 20th century

PROVENANCE Egon Guenther Collection.

MEASUREMENTS
Total weight: 103 g
Set comprises 7 elements (individual dimensions available on request).