The Palace Museum in Kumasi will soon exhibit a collection of gold and silver regalia linked to the Asante royal court, marking a significant event facilitated by long-term loans from the V&A and the British Museum.
For the first time in 150 years, many of these artifacts will be showcased in Ghana. This collaboration stems from a visit by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to London in May of the previous year. Negotiations were led by his technical advisors, Ghanaian historian Ivor Agyeman-Duah, and British professor Malcolm McLeod, experts in African and Asante history.
The items will be loaned to the Manhiya Palace Museum in Kumasi, forming part of an exhibition honoring the 2024 Silver Jubilee of Asantehene Osei Tutu II and commemorating significant historical events. These artifacts hold immense cultural, historical, and spiritual significance for the Asante people, representing a tangible link to British colonial history in West Africa.
The V&A is contributing seventeen items, including pieces of Asante Royal regalia acquired during the 19th century conflicts. The British Museum’s selection includes fifteen objects, such as a gold ornament in the form of a lute-harp, symbolizing the enduring relationship between the Asante and the British Museum over two centuries.
Gold has always been central to Asante identity and power. The regalia, worn by kings and court officials, embodies the spirit of past rulers and carries deep symbolic meaning beyond its material worth.
The V&A’s choice of artifacts from the 1874 looting reflects the exceptional goldsmithing skills of the Asante craftsmen, serving as a source of inspiration for British artists and designers seeking innovation.
Director of the V&A, Dr. Tristram Hunt said: ‘150 years after the attack on Kumasi and looting of court regalia, the V&A is proud to be partnering with the Manhiya Palace Museum to display this important collection of Asante gold work. As part of our commitment to sharing collections with a colonial past, we are excited to see these items on public show, in Ghana, as part of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s Silver Jubilee celebrations. We thank the Asantehene for his leadership, and look forward to further collaboration.’
Keeper of Africa, Oceania and the Americas British Museum, Lissant Bolton said: ‘We are privileged to have built a long-standing cultural partnership with the Manhyia Palace Museum, working together over the past five decades. This relationship is of great importance to us. We are delighted to be lending these beautiful and significant cultural objects for display in Kumasi in this the Asantehene’s Silver Jubilee year and the 150th anniversary of the Anglo-Asante war, and to be doing so through a collaboration with Manhyia Palace Museum and the V&A.’
Notes
- 17 items from the V&A collection are planned for loan to the Manhyia Palace Museum, on the basis of a long term (three-year) renewable agreement. More information on these objects can be found here
- 15 items from the British Museum are planned for loan to the Manhyia Palace Museum, on the basis of a long term (three year) agreement.
- More information about the V&A’s global Africa collection can be found here
- More information on the British Museum’s African Galleries can be found here
The V&A
The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity— its power to entertain and move, to enrich our lives, open our minds and change the world. We celebrate and share that power through a programme of exhibitions, events, educational and digital experiences, a collection of 2.8 million objects, and through our support for new works and commitment to conservation, research and sustainable design. Together, our work tells a 5,000-year-old story of creativity, helping to advance cultural knowledge everywhere, and inspiring the makers, creators and innovators of today and tomorrow. We are always working to broaden our audiences so that everyone can be part of the V&A – because the V&A and the power of creativity belong to us all.
The British Museum
Founded in 1753, the British Museum was the first national public museum in the world. The Collection of around 8 million objects tells the stories of cultures across the world, from the dawn of human history, over two million years ago, to the present. Objects range from the earliest tools made by humans and remarkable finds from the ancient world to more recent acquisitions from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, as well as the national collections of prints and drawings, and coins and medals. In addition to work in London, the Museum takes part in an extensive programme of loans and tours, both across the UK and throughout the world. Research with international impact continues to underpin the British Museum’s exhibitions and wider work.
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