The Ashanti Region, in south Ghana, is the ‘Kingdom of gold’, with a legacy of fine craftsmanship and culture traditions. Mainly in the service of the king - Asantehene, as well as the ruling classes in a society that had both formally and symbolically represented the state itself, art was the inevitable medium of communication. Material, motifs, symbols, the order of elements and the context in which a certain object was shown, determined the nature of the message, as well as the ones that received them.
Aside from the Ashanti stools, the Asante are best known for their other royal arts, which include lost-wax cast gold and brass jewelry.
This amulet is created by lost-wax casting. This is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass or bronze) is cast from an original sculpture. Intricate works can be achieved by this method.
The art of bronze casting has a long and rich history in West Africa. In this tradition, a rough clay core is molded and then covered by a layer of bee's wax. The wax is carved and shaped into the desired design, then covered with more clay. Next, the mold is baked to melt and drain the wax, leaving an empty space between the inner and outer clay layers. Molten metal is carefully poured into the chamber, hardening to create the final shape. Finally, the outer layer of clay is chipped off, revealing the metal within.
