African Art-Topoke Dihunga Currency 29772

Accompanied by its certificate of authenticity. Base included. French collection. Topoke. Congo. Prestigious objects and transaction currencies. In Africa, before the colonial period, payments were never made in coins. Transactions were made using cowries, pearls, cattle, kola nuts, but also metals, especially iron. These primitive currencies were used in commercial and social exchanges, especially for dowries, but could also be parade objects or throwing weapons. In Sierra Leone, goods were valued in relation to iron bars called barriferri. The king generally controlled the production or transport of the kingdom's currency. The variety of these metal forms is wide, and they sometimes take the form of particularly aesthetic non-figurative sculptures.