Spoon, silver, Kumasi, before 1874

The pierced holes in the bowl of this silver spoon indicate that this was a goldsmith's straining spoon. The style of ornament along with the fact that precious metalwork in Ghana is primarily based around gold work, suggest this piece may have been made further north of Asante. It was part of the Asante court regalia in 1874.

The silver has been beaten into a very thin sheet which has then been embossed or hammered with small punches to create the decoration. On lifting the spoon flexes back and forth and is quite fragile.

Bowdich also saw finely beaten gold and silver ornamenting other items such as, 'drums, sankos [harp-lutes], horns and various musical instruments, cased in gold, about the thickness of cartridge paper; large circles of gold hung by scarlet cloth from the swords of state, the sheaths as well as the handles of which were also cased; hatchets of the same were intermixed with them; the breasts of the Ocrahs [soul-washers], and various attendants, were adorned with large stars, stools, crescents, and gossamer wings of solid gold.'

Bowdich was shown the traditional Asante methods of lost-wax casting in gold.

This silver spoon is one of thirteen items of Asante gold and silver regalia which entered the V&A's collections on 5 June 1874 with the source listed as 'Garrard & Co'. Garrards were the British Crown Jewellers.

The Museum's interest in Asante art was in selecting pieces as sources of ornament for art students and designers in keeping with the Museum's remit to improve the quality of Britain's design and manufacturing products. On acquisition, this spoon was recorded as: 'Strainer. Silver, with borad flat handle, repoussé and punched. Ashanti. 5 June 74.

The museum paid £7.10s for the item.

These ornaments carry meaning beyond their material value.

The gold fed European markets for money and luxury goods.

'Punitive' is a term loaded with imperial entitlement.

They reached Kumasi on 4th February.

Rifle Brigade, Gibraltar, 1875'.

The proceeds went partly towards paying for the expedition.