West African rattle, Ashanti Kingdom, 1873 (c)

Wood rattle with cylindrical head containing beads, with applied gold sheeting secured by pins.

This gilded wood rattle which may have been used in funerary rituals was taken from the Palace of King Kofi Karikari of the Ashanti Kingdom, at Kumasi in present day Ghana.

General Sir Garnet Wolseley led the British campaign against the forces of Kofi Karikari, King of the Ashanti, during the 2nd Ashanti War (1873-1874). His men captured Kumasi, the Ashanti capital, on 4 February 1874 after the Battle of Amoaful on 31 January.