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#MetalMonday :
Akan weights in the form of #mudfish
Ghana / Côte d'Ivoire, 18-19th c.
Copper alloy
On display at Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Symbols of: wealth, power, transformation, resilience
#AfricanArt
See ALTs for more info!
![“Cast copper alloy figurative weight in the form of a coiled mudfish with raised dot pattern.” photographed on display at museum in 2020 H x W x D: 0.6 x 4.1 x 3.2 cm (1/4 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/4 in.) National Museum of African Art 68-36-67 “Visually, [Akan] weights fall into two distinct categories: geometric and figurative. Stylistically they are divided into early (c. 1400-1700) and late (c. 1700-1900) periods. During the late period, figurative weights increased in both number and variety, although geometric weights were still made. Generally, late-period figurative weights have added details and textures beyond the basic form that would identify the subject.” “Some weights’ forms were selected just for their beauty or to display the owner’s status. Many, however, evoke Akan proverbs, whose meanings vary with time and place—more than one interpretation can apply. Hence water creatures were popular weights, with their associations of fluidity, flexibility, and movement between worlds.” “Th[ese] weight[s] [are] in the form of mudfish, a symbol of wealth and transformation. The mudfish lives when ordinary animals would die, surviving the loss of water.” Info via Smithsonian NMAA](https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/113/943/461/618/400/034/original/dbd19079b79756c5.png "“Cast copper alloy figurative weight in the form of a coiled mudfish with raised dot pattern.” photographed on display at museum in 2020 H x W x D: 0.6 x 4.1 x 3.2 cm (1/4 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/4 in.) National Museum of African Art 68-36-67 “Visually, [Akan] weights fall into two distinct categories: geometric and figurative. Stylistically they are divided into early (c. 1400-1700) and late (c. 1700-1900) periods. During the late period, figurative weights increased in both number and variety, although geometric weights were still made. Generally, late-period figurative weights have added details and textures beyond the basic form that would identify the subject.” “Some weights’ forms were selected just for their beauty or to display the owner’s status. Many, however, evoke Akan proverbs, whose meanings vary with time and place—more than one interpretation can apply. Hence water creatures were popular weights, with their associations of fluidity, flexibility, and movement between worlds.” “Th[ese] weight[s] [are] in the form of mudfish, a symbol of wealth and transformation. The mudfish lives when ordinary animals would die, surviving the loss of water.” Info via Smithsonian NMAA")
