A beautiful and rare, museum-quality gold weight made by the Ashanti people in Ghana in the 19th century. Gold not only brought prosperity to the Ashanti through trade but was also considered the earthly counterpart to the sun and the material embodiment of kra, or life force. To better control and regulate the trade in gold, merchants and rulers developed weights that set standard units of measure. Beyond their practical application, the weights are miniature representations of West African cultural items. This is a true little masterpiece, made with the lost wax technique, and shaped like a mudfish. The body is decorated with coils imitating the movement of the fish. The well-known capacity of this fish type to survive the most arid conditions may suggest its symbolic implications for longevity. There is an artistically similar gold weight in the Metropolitan/ New York (see last photos with a screenshot). Provenance: private collection, Paris. 6 cm wide (with stand) 3,5 cm Overall good condition. A unique piece with a beautiful presence that could be the jewel of any collection.