8 Ghana Ashanti Brass Gold Dust Weights & Figurines

West Africa, Ghana, Asante/Ashanti (Akan) culture, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A grouping of miniature brass goldweights and related ornaments depicting figurative and animal forms, including a fish or shark, two stools, a bird, a figure climbing a ladder, an erotic couple, a shield, and a small ungulate or aardvark-like creature. Cast using traditional lost-wax methods, such sculptures served as standardized weights for measuring gold dust in trade, while also communicating Akan proverbs, social roles, and moral lessons through their symbolic imagery. One small stool differs in material and function, made from a copper-silver alloy (approximately 39% silver) with suspension loops, suggesting use as a charm or pendant rather than a utilitarian weight. Size of erotic couple: 1.5" W x 1.5" H (3.8 cm x 3.8 cm) Item # 197241

Estimate:$125

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