The Sainsbury African Galleries at the British Museum, which opened in 2001, provide a new home for the museum's magnificent collections of African art and artefacts. In a series of changing long-term displays the galleries show objects from everyday life and masterpieces of artistry, from Asante goldwork to sculpture, textiles and weaponry (including a sword with an ornate gold-leaf hilt).

The gold collection takes pride of place in the Personal Adornment display which reveals the diversity of African goldsmiths' work from earrings to pipes with golden bowls and spectacle frames. They remind us that gold has been an essential part of the life and trade, especially of West African nations like Ghana and Mali, for centuries. And the gold itself has an exceptional rich yellowness of metal found locally and worked without any adulteration of alloys. Gold ornaments were clear symbols of prestige, usually worn only by kings and major chiefs or important court officials, especially among the Asante people.

Among the most dramatic Asante articles is a neck torque of gold worn by the king when he wanted to show warlike intentions, and a delicate gold bracelet hung with tiny replica gold keys - the keys being both a symbol of power and wealth. A gold pectoral disk embossed with bow and arrow motifs was worn suspended on a whitened cord of pineapple fibre, while rings for fingers, thumbs and toes were sometimes adorned with a dome-like bird's nest or cage on top.

A helmet of blackened antelope skin decorated with alternate strips of sheet gold and silver embossed with leaf designs that was worn by Asante court officials was inspired by European military head gear. On social occasions the Asante smoked long-stemmed pipes from wood or reed, with those destined for rulers or senior officials having not just golden bowls, but gold sheet or wire bands around the stem.

The Sainsbury Galleries have gold from other African nations. A crown of gold, metal and glass from the Merina people of Madagascar, along with a gold box set with five long, pointed gold crocodile teeth that they wore as a lucky talisman at the waist. While from the Peul people of Mali (a great source of gold for centuries) there is a heavy gold earring, hammered and twisted into a four lobe shape. Such earrings were prized for their sheet size, indicating wealth, and weighed as much as 300 grams (9.6 ounces).

The prize for the most original fashion ornament, however, must go to a snazzy pair of gold spectacles with fine gold mesh in place of lenses, which even today are rated prestige jewellery items by the Baule people of Ivory Coast.

This new gold display creates an abiding impression of the sheer variety of uses African craftsmen find for gold. This is a permanent new exhibition at the British Museum, but some displays may change from time to time.

See also: gold civilisations/asante and British Museum for other gold collections there.

Sainsbury Gallery
British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
UK

Tel.     +44 207 323 8000
          +44 207 323 8299
Fax     +44 20 7323 8616
Web    www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
           
Open

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday 10 - 17.30
Thursday and Friday 10 - 20.30