Object Details
- Asante artist
- Label Text
- Circular pendants hammered from the thinnest of gold or cast by the lost-wax process are traditionally worn around the neck of court officials who maintain the spiritual well being of Akan rulers and their land. These emblems of office are known as soul washer's badges and each bears designs that speak to the royal context in which they are worn. For instance, the fern depicted at the center of the pendant with its cord still intact refers to the Asante proverb, "the king does not fear insults."
- Description
- Embossed gold circular disk ornamented with a small half-circle at the top and bottom. A small metal loop is attached to either side of one half-circle and from one side of the other half-circle (second loop missing). Five concentric circles of raised decorative motifs radiate out from the conical center. To suspend the cord around the neck, multiple strands of vegetal fiber cord have been twisted together and knotted, leaving a single strand at each side to attach to the flattened gold loops on either side at the back of the pendant. Examination of the disk's thin surface reveals several cracks, local repairs and dark discolorations, suggesting wear and use.
- Provenance
- Opanin Kwame Bonsu (goldsmith, now deceased), Kumasi, Ghana, purchased from a prominent citizen of Kumawu, Ashanti Region, Ghana, -- to c. 1988
- Ali Barry, Dichemso-Kumasi, Ghana, c. 1988 to 1989
- Albert Nuamah, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, acquired in Ghana, 1989 to 2008
- Exhibition History
- Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
- African Cosmos: Stellar Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20-December 9, 2012; Newark Museum, February 26-August 11, 2013; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, August 23-November 30, 2014; Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta, January 31-June 21, 2015
- African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013 (deinstalled March 22, 2012)
- Inauguration 2009, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-March 2, 2009
- Published References
- Maples, Amanda, Ashby Johnson, Marian, and Dumouchelle, Kevin D., 2018, Good As Gold, Washington, D.C.: NMAfA, Smithsonian, p. 19, illustrated p. 20
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Late 19th-early 20th century
- Object number
- 2008-3-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Jewelry
- Medium
- Repoussé gold, plant fiber, metal
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 3 x 18 x 15 cm (1 3/16 x 7 1/16 x 5 7/8 in.)
- Geography
- Ghana
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- akrafokonmu
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Leadership
- Status
- Adornment
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_2008-3-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys726cefc2e-c576-48ec-b1de-f74901e4e5af
