1.8.

2021 Container (Kuduo)

Title: Container (Kuduo)
Date: 18th–19th century
Geography: Ghana
Culture: Akan peoples, Asante
Medium: Bras
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 and North Africa, received in exchange
for Akan gold, textiles, and slaves, included vessels that
may have partly inspired the design of this and other kuduo.
The repeating bands of geometric patterns incised into the
surface, as well as the elegantly flaring foot, body, and
handle, may reflect Islamic influences. 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.