Disk Pendant (akrafokɔnmu)

1800s, before 1896

Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Asante Empire/Kingdom, probably Kumasi, member of the goldsmiths’ guild

Diameter: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.); Overall: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)

Dudley P. Allen Fund 1935.310

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Did You Know?

Akan goldsmiths were organized into guilds, a kind of specialized group of artisans.

Description

Gold discs dangling on the chests of Akan state officials and elites showed their rank and duties. Worn by these akrafo (“soul people”) since the 1800s, they are often linked to kradware, officials who represent and purify (“wash”) the king’s soul. To make them, goldsmiths cast or flattened gold. Muslim North African gold coins likely inspired their form and material, while concentric water rings influenced their composition. This small disc is a typical pre-colonial example: asantehene (king) Prempeh I reportedly owned this disk. The British emptied his treasury after deposing and exiling him in 1896. Gold ornament making ceased until 1924; court officials now wear large discs.