Kuduo vessel
Ornate, cast brass vessels known as kuduo were the possessions of kings and courtiers in the Akan kingdoms. Gold dust and nuggets were kept in kuduo, as were other items of personal value and significance. As receptacles for their owners' kra, or life force, they were prominent features of ceremonies designed to honor and protect that individual. At the time of his death, a person's kuduo was filled with gold and other offerings and included in an assembly of items left at the burial site.
The elaborate form and complex iconography of this kuduo reveal the broad range of aesthetic traditions from which the Akan peoples have drawn to create their courtly arts. Goods from Europe North Africa, and Egypt, received in exchange for Akan gold, textiles, and slaves, included vessels that may have partly inspired the design of this and otherkuduo. The repeating bands of geometric patterns incised into the surface, as well as the elegantly flaring foot, body, and handle, may reflect influences from Medieval Egyptian metalwares. A latch mechanism on the exterior reflects the value of the materials kept within and alludes to the vessel's symbolic function of keeping its owner's kra secure.
This Kuduo is a pair with 1979.206.178a-c.
The elaborate form and complex iconography of this kuduo reveal the broad range of aesthetic traditions from which the Akan peoples have drawn to create their courtly arts. Goods from Europe North Africa, and Egypt, received in exchange for Akan gold, textiles, and slaves, included vessels that may have partly inspired the design of this and otherkuduo. The repeating bands of geometric patterns incised into the surface, as well as the elegantly flaring foot, body, and handle, may reflect influences from Medieval Egyptian metalwares. A latch mechanism on the exterior reflects the value of the materials kept within and alludes to the vessel's symbolic function of keeping its owner's kra secure.
This Kuduo is a pair with 1979.206.178a-c.
Artwork Details
- Title: Kuduo vessel
- Artist: Asante-Akan artist
- Date: 18th–19th century
- Geography: Ghana
- Culture: Akan peoples, Asante
- Medium: Brass, pigment
- Dimensions: H. 6 7/8 x Diam. 5 1/2 in. (17.5 x 14 cm)
- Classification: Metal-Containers
- Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Hammer, in memory of Dr. Milton Gross, 1981
- Object Number: 1981.431.14
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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