ASANTE, GHANA

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The goldwork traditions of the Akan peoples, especially the Asante, encompass a wide variety of forms and have been a source of admiration for centuries. While whimsical, charming goldweights (abrammuo) are a familiar focus for collectors, Asante metalworkers also produced more elaborate works. As early as the eighteenth century, European visitors in Ghana wrote about the Asante’s spectacular military regalia, which today forms part of the state treasury and is brought forth on special occasions.

Sword ornaments were one such type of regalia. Historically seen as divinely empowered, swords played a prominent role in Akan rituals, including oath of office ceremonies and chiefly purification rites. Cast gold pieces were hung from the hilts or scabbards of high-ranking court figures, symbolizing political and military strength through iconography that often alluded to traditional proverbs and teachings.

These chiefly objects were cast in the lost wax (cire perdue) process and on average measure between thirteen and eighteen centimeters long. Though fine and thin-walled, they rarely show casting flaws. Red felt or velvet is often stuffed inside the ornament to provide a rich contrast to the brilliant gold and highlight any openwork details. While Ghanaian treasuries today hold several dozen of these ornaments, they are quite rare in Western collections.

This finely sculpted and well-preserved ornament uses images of animals and objects to communicate these ideas. In Asante folklore, the tortoise is a cunning character who uses intelligence, resilience, and planning rather than strength to overcome challenges. Snails are symbols of patience and perseverance, reflecting Asante wisdom that prizes slow, careful progress over hasty and impulsive action.

Also notable here is the pistol, which alludes not only to martial potency but to connections with European trade, and thus to political and commercial prestige. Martial symbols are predominant on sword ornaments, and references to firearms and the modernizing trends of warfare appear through images of powder kegs, pistols, and machine guns. Firearms were fundamental to the expansionist ambitions of the Asante state, and many wars were fought with the southern Akan for access to the coastal trade in powder and weapons.

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