By the 17th century, Akan and Asante goldsmiths cast goldweights in the forms of humans, animals, plants, and various man-made objects. Like some of the earlier geometric weights, representational goldweights were connected to proverbs and maxims. For older figurative weights, many of their original associations have been forgotten. Others have new meanings, as familiar proverbs differed among generations and geographic locations. Adding to this complex visual communication, some proverbs carry multiple meanings.

Excerpt from

• Roslyn Walker, The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana, Label text, 2018.

• The British Museum
  Learn more about the proverbs connected to gold-weights.

• The British Museum
  Learn more about gold-weights.