Antique West African Prestige Currency Bracelet Attributed Akan–Baoulé Culture, Ghana / Côte d’Ivoire, Cast Bronze Alloy

A substantial West African cast prestige currency bracelet or bracelet-form currency object attributed to the Akan–Baoulé cultural sphere of present-day Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Objects of this type belong to the wider tradition of West African manillas and open cast currency forms historically used as stores of wealth, ceremonial valuables, and exchange currency within regional trade systems. Due to its exceptional mass, this example was likely intended primarily as a prestige or wealth object rather than for ordinary daily wear.

The object was produced using the traditional lost-wax casting process and subsequently hand finished. The deeply ribbed exterior surface, dense solid casting, uneven interior, and developed surface patina are consistent with traditional manufacture and age. Comparable forms are documented in museum collections including the British Museum, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Pitt Rivers Museum, and Ashmolean Museum, where related examples are catalogued as bracelet-form currencies, prestige cuffs, and manillas.

Circa:

Late 19th to early 20th century

Provenance:

Egon Guenther Collection
By family descent to the Thomas Guenther Collection

Measurements:

Outer length 14.66 cm
Height 11.22 cm
Width 11.28 cm

Weight:

4.255 kg