Side view of an Akan copper-alloy goldweight from Ghana, cast as a tortoise with a patterned shell, against a pale background. The panel is titled “A Tortoise in Miniature” and marked EG AGW 10.

Akan Tortoise Goldweight, Lost-Wax Cast Copper Alloy, Ghana, Late 19th–Mid-20th Century

€130.00
€130.00
Skip to product information
Side view of an Akan copper-alloy goldweight from Ghana, cast as a tortoise with a patterned shell, against a pale background. The panel is titled “A Tortoise in Miniature” and marked EG AGW 10.
  • Side view of an Akan copper-alloy goldweight from Ghana, cast as a tortoise with a patterned shell, against a pale background. The panel is titled “A Tortoise in Miniature” and marked EG AGW 10.
  • Overhead view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing the modelled divisions of its shell, four projecting legs and small head.
  • Side view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing its raised patterned shell, projecting head and four legs.
  • Underside of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing the cast body, four legs and incised divisions beneath the shell.
  • Final view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight showing its patterned shell, head and four legs. The panel states its measurements as 3.58 × 2.4 × 1.3 cm and weight as 22 g.
  • Side view of an Akan copper-alloy goldweight from Ghana, cast as a tortoise with a patterned shell, against a pale background. The panel is titled “A Tortoise in Miniature” and marked EG AGW 10.
  • Overhead view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing the modelled divisions of its shell, four projecting legs and small head.
  • Side view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing its raised patterned shell, projecting head and four legs.
  • Underside of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight from Ghana, showing the cast body, four legs and incised divisions beneath the shell.
  • Final view of an Akan copper-alloy tortoise goldweight showing its patterned shell, head and four legs. The panel states its measurements as 3.58 × 2.4 × 1.3 cm and weight as 22 g.
Akan Tortoise Goldweight, Lost-Wax Cast Copper Alloy, Ghana, Late 19th–Mid-20th Century

Akan Tortoise Goldweight, Lost-Wax Cast Copper Alloy, Ghana, Late 19th–Mid-20th Century

€130.00
€130.00
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

An Akan figurative goldweight in the form of a tortoise, attributed to Ghana. Brass and other copper-alloy weights were used to measure gold dust in the Akan trading system. The compact form and patterned shell make the animal legible at miniature scale. Tortoise-form examples are documented in the British Museum collection. www.britishmuseum.org

The weight was made by the lost-wax casting method and retains an aged surface with visible wear. Its exact casting date is undocumented; late 19th–mid-20th century is a cautious stylistic attribution. Its long association with the Egon Guenther Collection gives it a useful family provenance for collectors of Akan metalwork.

SKU : EG AGE 10

Circa: Late 19th–mid-20th century, attributed

Provenance: Egon Guenther Collection, South Africa; inherited by Thomas Guenther in 2007; Thomas Guenther Collection, Netherlands

Measurements: 3.58 × 2.4 × 1.3 cm
Weight: 22 g

You may also like