AKAN, GHANA OR IVORY COAST

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A compelling Asante gold disc pendant with tight wirework patterning and a framed image of a frog executed in respoussé. The soft, handworked texture and blurred edges of the amphibian image create a striking contrast to the crisp and geometric framework, enhancing the qualities of both.

Ornaments of gold were reserved for the Asante elite. Carrying symbolism beyond wealth or status, they often referenced proverbs that affirmed the qualities of a virtuous and admirable leader. Many of these were embodied by animals from whom an insightful observer might take instruction. The frog was associated with many ideas: adaptation and versatility, based on its amphibious lifestyle; abundance and fertility, for its connections with rain and prodigious spawning; and a capacity for transformation, in its dramatic development from tadpole to adult.

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