The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Gold Weight (abrammuo): Fish
1800s
Overall: 2.8 x 6.6 x 0.4 cm (1 1/8 x 2 5/8 x 3/16 in.)
Gift of William Ellery Greene 1961.399
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
The prominence of fish-shaped weights in Asante cultures may be linked to the highly held value of wisdom, as the word for fish and wisdom in the Asante language is the same: adwene.Description
The wealth and power of the Asante kingdom was 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 cateogries: geometric and representational. The latter often refers to proverbs, which used judiciously, marked a wise person.- ?–1961William Ellery Greene, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1961–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- CMA 1962: "Year in Review," Bulletin XLIX (November 1962), p. 223, no. 27.Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
- {{cite web|title=Gold Weight (abrammuo): Fish|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1961.399