Originating from the Akan Kingdoms of the Gold Coast, present day Ghana, Kuduo (meaning vessel) are ornate cast brass vessels which were possessed by kings and courtiers in the Kingdoms.

Kuduo was used to keep Gold dust, and other items that were of personal significance and value to the possessor of the Kuduo. When the possessor of a kuduo dies, the Kuduo is filled with gold and other offerings, and left at the burial site, among other items.

The complicated and detailed iconography of this kuduo, show the different kinds of aesthetic traditions which the Akan peoples have adopted in creating their courtly artefacts. It is said that the participation of Akan People in the Trans Saharan gold trade, as well as the region’s trade of goods, textiles, slaves with Europe and North Africa included vessels that may have inspired the creation of Kuduo.

This Kuduo shows on the lid, a king and his subjects engrossed in the game of Oware. This Kuduo most definitely belonged to a King of the Akan Kingdom.

The reiteratively embossed bands of geometric patterns on the surface, as well as the flaring foot, body and handle portray Islamic influences.