Akan Ghana 18th Century Gold Powder Weight In The Shape Of A Recade

Rare gold powder weight in the shape of a stylized royal recade, symbol of authority and power. Bronze made by lost wax casting, with an old brown patina, enriched by time. Light traces of green oxidation on the reverse and significant marks of use which testify to its many uses. Good general condition of conservation (see photos). Dimensions: 10.5 x 2.3 cm Akan, Ghana, 18th century. Provenance: Former collection of Mr. Olivier Richet, constituted between the 1950s and 1980s. Inventoried on October 6, 1981 by Mrs. Eid, documentalist at the Museum of African and Oceanic Arts of the Porte Dorée, at the request of Mr. C. Noll, curator of the African arts section. Sold with a certificate of authenticity from the expert Serge Reynes. "Gold powder weights, called abrammuo, were essential to the trade and economy of Akan societies, particularly among the Ashanti of Ghana. They were used to accurately measure gold, which was the main currency. The recade (or royal scepter) shape of this weight is not only functional: it carries a symbolic meaning linked to authority, power and justice. This motif recalls the central place of elites in the regulation of trade and the protection of wealth. These objects thus testify to the refinement of Akan arts and their capacity to combine utility and aesthetics."