Akan Gold Fish Pendant, 18th Century CE - 19th Century CE
Gold
3.25
DK.006 (LSO)
This beautiful gold pendant was made by the Akan peoples of what was once appositely named the Gold Coast – now Ghana. It comprises a long, fat, hollow tube of...
This beautiful gold pendant was made by the Akan peoples of what was once appositely named the Gold Coast – now Ghana. It comprises a long, fat, hollow tube of thin gold, decorated with incised linear patterning and narrow slits running transversely. There is a double suspension loop on the fish’s left side. The eyes are placed on top of the head, with elevated rims. A clue to the identity of the species involved are the three short posts protruding from under each eye (the cheek), which are presumably meant to represent barbells. This is thus a representation of a catfish, a staple food item and symbol of prosperity for many West African groups.
The Akan are a loose assemblage of tribes – including the Akuapem, the Akyem, the Ashanti, the Baoulé, the Anyi, the Brong, the Fante and the Nzema – that share general cultural trends while maintaining separate tribal identities. Their society is highly ritualised, with numerous gods under a main deity who varies according to the group in question (Onyame – the Supreme One – is the Asante deity), and a host of lesser gods (Abosom) who receive their power from the principal god, and are mostly connected with the natural world (earth, ocean, rivers, animals etc).
The Akan consider gold to be the embodiment of sunlight and a physical manifestation of life’s vital force, or “kra”. The economy is based upon the trade in gold, which is most prominently used for the manufacture of regalia for the royal courts. Small secular pieces are also known, but have little social value beyond asserting the wealth of the wearer. The most important pieces are those that send social signals, and that mark out the wearer as something out of the ordinary. For example, “Akrafokonmu” (lit. “soul washer’s disk”) pendants are worn by a series of beautiful young people whose energy replenishes that of the king. Pieces such as this represent fecundity, food and related fields, and the fact that it is made from gold add to its impact as a status signaling device.
This beautifully-executed gold masterwork would be a superb contribution to any jewellery collection, or collection of African art.
The Akan are a loose assemblage of tribes – including the Akuapem, the Akyem, the Ashanti, the Baoulé, the Anyi, the Brong, the Fante and the Nzema – that share general cultural trends while maintaining separate tribal identities. Their society is highly ritualised, with numerous gods under a main deity who varies according to the group in question (Onyame – the Supreme One – is the Asante deity), and a host of lesser gods (Abosom) who receive their power from the principal god, and are mostly connected with the natural world (earth, ocean, rivers, animals etc).
The Akan consider gold to be the embodiment of sunlight and a physical manifestation of life’s vital force, or “kra”. The economy is based upon the trade in gold, which is most prominently used for the manufacture of regalia for the royal courts. Small secular pieces are also known, but have little social value beyond asserting the wealth of the wearer. The most important pieces are those that send social signals, and that mark out the wearer as something out of the ordinary. For example, “Akrafokonmu” (lit. “soul washer’s disk”) pendants are worn by a series of beautiful young people whose energy replenishes that of the king. Pieces such as this represent fecundity, food and related fields, and the fact that it is made from gold add to its impact as a status signaling device.
This beautifully-executed gold masterwork would be a superb contribution to any jewellery collection, or collection of African art.