brass with patina, human figure, holding a bird in his hands, h: 5,5 cm; sawfish, h: 1 cm, min. dam., slight traces of corrosion;
until the beginning of the last century gold dust was the most common currency of the country. At every buying or disposal the gold dust had to be weighted, for this purpose natural weights like seeds, shells or bones were used, as well as metal weights, nowadays called gold weights.
Provenance:
Fischer, Herten, Germany (human figure)
Ludwig Bretschneider, Munich, Germany (fish)
Georg Aumann, Coburg, Germany
Lit.: van Rijin, Guy, Goldweights, Amsterdam 1979, p. 92, ill. 81
Continent: Africa

See description