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HOME :
Islamic Art :
AS.USA : Akan Gold Bead Necklace
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Akan Gold Bead Necklace - FJ.6946
Origin: Ghana, Ivory Coast
Circa: 16
th
Century AD
to 20
th
Century AD
Collection: African
Medium: Gold
Additional Information: AS.USA
Location: United States
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| Description |
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In many cultures throughout the world, gold has
been associated with status, power, prestige and
wealth. As early as the 15th century, European
merchants wrote about the richness of African
gold objects used for adornment and intended
for public display. Gold deposits were
discovered in all regions of Africa, and became
the most important commodity during pre-
colonial times. The region of the Akan,
spreading from the forest zone and costal areas
of Ghana to the southern shores of the Ivory
Coast, is the richest auriferous zone in West
Africa. Several individual tribes make up the
Akan people, the Asante and Baule being among
the most famous, all united by their common
ancestry and language. The royal courts of the
Akan people were reportedly the most splendid
in Africa. Oral tradition and iconography in Akan
works of art are very closely connected. Verbal
and visual symbolism tells stories or proverbs.
Imagery of royal power on court ornaments carry
out messages that helps keep the balance and
continuity within the society.
This sumptuous
necklace, with its large central rectangular
pendant, was surely intended for the chief of an
Akan village or the king of an individual tribe.
The central pendant is echoed by the series of
smaller rectangular pendants and complimented
by the other circular, spherical, and other
various-shaped beads. This gorgeous necklace
is so stunning not so much for the inherent
worth and splendor of the material, but more for
the outstanding artistry and workmanship. Gold
is among the most treasured material on earth.
However, this artist of this necklace has
transformed the natural wonder of the gold into
something even more precious: a masterpiece of
African jewelry.
- (FJ.6946)
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