STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
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Modest exhibition interrogates unsavoury past as V&A offers a ‘mea culpa’
(L to R) Gold pendant; a brass weight is in the form of an antelope with extended horns; brass shield; a pectoral gold disc, akrafokonmu
[V&A]
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ASANTE GOLDWEIGHTS
Victoria and Albert (V&A), London
IN THE Metalware Gallery (Room 116) at the V&A a humble display of Asante Goldweights has acquired a significance far beyond the modest number of the items on display.
“It reflects the developing discussions in museums around decolonisation and the need for us to be open about the V&A’s history as both an expression and a driver of 19th-century imperialism,” writes V&A senior curator Angus Patterson in a companion piece.
This honesty needs to saluted as it marks a significant step in a process that would hopefully lead to a significant restitution of art treasures hoarded in British museums which are, more often than not, of great social, cultural and political significance to their original creators.
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