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The golden sword ornaments of the Asante Empire have a unique spider shape. |Image credit: Courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art; McDermott African Art Acquisition Fund
quick overview
Name: asante spider
what is it: gold sword jewelry
Where does it come from: Kumasi, Ghana
When making: late 19th century
The Asante Empire (also known as the Ashanti Empire) ruled the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) for two centuries (1701 to 1901). One of the most powerful symbols of the Asante rulers was the ceremonial sword, which was often decorated with cast gold ornaments shaped like animals. This unique spider ornament belonged to one of the last Asante kings, Kwakudua IIAccording to officials, Asante spider jewelry is made of gold, copper and silver alloys. Dallas Museum of Artthe company purchased the item from a Texas family in 2014. The spider measures 4 x 2.9 inches (10.2 x 7.3 cm) and may have been attached to an Asante ceremonial sword. It was probably made in the late 19th century with hundreds of other royal gold objectsIn 1884, Sir Samuel Rowe, the British Governor of the Gold Coast, visited Bosommuru, the chief spokesman of the Asante royal family, in Kumasi, the imperial capital. During the state visit, Bosomlu presented Luo with the golden spider of Kwakudua II as a sign of friendship. Roslyn Walker, director of the Dallas Museum of Art, said he studied The history of spidersBosomlu said that the spider was a symbol of wisdom and that only the king was allowed to wear the spider emblem on his sword.
But Luo decided to return the Golden Spider to the king because it was illegal for British officials to accept gifts, so he and the British envoy Robert Lowe Brandon Kirby sent the Golden Spider back to Kumasi. It’s unclear how Kirby ended up in possession of the golden spider, but he brought it to the United States, where he teamed up with a Scot named James Cree to buy land in the Southwest, angering locals who found Kirby to be extremely flamboyant and rude.
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According to a family story told by Charles Cree, Walker noted, “BK made himself unpopular among the local residents. He received word that a lynch party was about to kill him, so he quickly sold to my grandfather for a bargain price.” [James]” and allowed itself to be smuggled out of the country in a pickle barrel.” The Golden Spider was passed down through the Cree family for generations before being purchased by the Dallas Museum of Art. Walker said the well-traveled royal Asante spider ornament is unique and “has not been seen in other minted gold spiders”. [Asante] The collection so far. ” For more amazing archaeological finds, check out our Stunning artifacts file.
