Weight for Measuring Gold (Mrammuo) Depicting a Crocodile

16th–19th century

On view, 1st floor, African Art

Brass weights called abrammuo (sing. mrammuo) were used to weigh gold dust, which was the primary currency of the Akan peoples of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire for centuries. While the earliest weights were cast in geometric forms based on the Arabic miskal (a unit of measurement), reflecting the gold trade’s intimate links to North African Islam, later examples, known as “proverb weights,” displayed figurative imager referring to Akan proverbs. Proverbs communicate accepted truths and practical advice in society, and many Akan proverbs brought to life in these weights are still in use today.

Medium: Brass
Dimensions: 1/2 × 1 × 3 in. (1.27 × 2.54 × 7.62 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of J Marshall Osborn for the Linton Collection
Accession Number: 1984.123.13i
Geography: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana
Culture: Akan
Period: 16th–19th century
Classification: Tools and Equipment
Disclaimer: Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Dr. Ralph Linton (1893–1953), by 1953 [see note 1]; by descent to his wife, Adelin Hohlfield Linton (1899–1977); sold to Marie-Louise Montgomery Osborn (1905–1968) and James Marshall Osborn (1906–1976), 1954; by descent to J. Marshall Osborn; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.,1984

Note 1: Ralph Linton was the Sterling Professor of Anthropology at Yale from 1946 until his death in 1953.

Object copyright

No Copyright - United States

Additional information

Object/Work type

goldweights

Subject

crocodiles

Technical metadata and APIs

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