The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Antelope
1800s
Overall: 5.2 cm (2 1/16 in.)
James Albert Ford Memorial Fund 1935.306
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
To make this casting, a brass caster first modeled the shape in wax.Description
The wealth and power of the Asante kingdom were derived primarily from its massive gold resources. Since at least 1600, small weights in brass and bronze were used to weigh gold dust and nuggets. The royal court had the most elaborate store of weights, while commoners often had about a dozen. Their imagery falls into two broad categories: geometric and representational. The latter often refers to proverbs, which used judiciously, mark a wise person. The weight in the form of an antelope with enormous horns may refer to the proverb "had I known"—a visual pun between the length of the horns and the idea of hindsight as perfect vision.- ?–1935(Charles Ratton Gallery, Paris, France, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1935–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.), and James Johnson Sweeney. African Negro Art. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1935. Mentioned: p. 39, no. 190.
- Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).Exhibition of the Month: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 3-August 29, 1949).The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).NY, Museum of Modern Art, 1935: African Negro Art, cat. no. 190, (also to CMA 9/27 - 10/27, 1935).
- {{cite web|title=Gold Weight (abrammuo): Antelope|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1935.306