Gold weight in the form of a Human Male Head at The British Museum, London

myminifactory

Lost wax cast figurative goldweight crafted from brass is in the form of a human male head adorned with tufts of hair. Hatch lines distinctly mark the eyebrows, eyeholes and mouth which are shown open. Single hatch lines also decorate the edges of the head and face while cross marks on each cheek appear to be scarification. Two protruding spikes emerge from either side of the mouth, possibly serving as the hilts of sepow knives. A suspension loop is located at the top of the head and the underside is concave in shape and hollow. The practice of beheading men of high status on the battlefield and in captivity following conflict has been documented in historical accounts of the Gold Coast such as Bowdich 1819 and Dupuis 1824. Trophy heads were often bound to the hilts of swords, stools and other paraphernalia and displayed in public processions during the pre-colonial period prior to 1896. This weight may represent the head of chief Worosa or Adinkra both of whom died as a result of armed conflict with the Asante in the early nineteenth century. Sacrificial victims and criminals traditionally had small knives (sepow) inserted through the cheeks and lips before death, preventing them from speaking. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks for public access. Scan the World is an open source community effort where interesting items can be contributed by emailing stw@myminifactory.com. This object was scanned using photogrammetry processed with Agisoft PhotoScan.