Goldweight [Bird] 19th-20th century

Curator: This small brass sculpture, titled "Goldweight [Bird]", originates from the Akan people, dating to the 19th or 20th century. It resides here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: My first impression? Utterly charming! It feels almost like a little brass guardian. I am immediately drawn to its sturdy build; what kind of a bird is it meant to represent, though? Its neck is so graceful and swooping but that beak feels heavy and decisive, like a tool. Curator: The Akan goldweights were not literal representations, but rather, they served a practical function: standardized weights for measuring gold dust. The form is less about avian anatomy and more about the societal role that gold held for the Akan, shaping power, prestige and trade networks. It prompts questions: who mined the brass, who cast it? These objects tell a quiet story about resource extraction. Editor: It's funny, knowing its function shifts my perspective entirely. I had envisioned a tiny familiar spirit, but thinking of it as part of trade makes me wonder about all the transactions it witnessed. Brass, you know, feels grounded somehow—earthy, yet with a glimmer of prosperity. Curator: Brass offered durability and uniformity—critical factors for standardization. Further, such a humble yet meticulously crafted object questions our conventional concept of ‘art’; it prompts discourse surrounding material culture, labour, and commodification. Its diminutive size, which easily fits in a palm, stands in striking contrast to the colossal trade structures it symbolizes. Editor: I appreciate how that material choice bridges utility and aesthetics, so what seems humble upon first sight, on further inspection seems so beautifully conceived. There’s a magic, I think, in how this little bird, weighty with unspoken history, still manages to fly right into your imagination. Curator: Absolutely. The inherent value within the brass echoes the preciousness it was tasked to weigh—the humble ‘Goldweight [Bird]’ speaks volumes concerning its societal context and historical provenance. Editor: Right. Thank you for bringing the earthbound bird into full flight.