Asante Goldweights

A display of Asante treasures from Ghana, shedding light on 19th-century collecting and the British Empire

Display Past event
Friday, 18 October 2019 – Sunday, 31 October 2021 at South Kensington
+44 (0)20 7942 2000

  • Friday, 18 October 2019 – Sunday, 31 October 2021

  • Metalware, Room 116, The Belinda Gentle Gallery, V&A South Kensington

  • Free event

Asante Goldweights photo

Asante gold court regalia is richly symbolic of an economy centred on the gold trade. Small brass goldweights were shaped to express proverbs encouraging honesty, integrity and the need to leave a legacy of good deeds. This display highlights contested heritage: some items were taken by British troops when they raided the Asante capital, Kumasi, in 1874 in conflicts over gold-trading ports.

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