The Asante Ewer
- Audio guide stop: 506
- Gallery: Room 40
- Culture: Late Medieval
- Made in: England
- Date: 1390-1399 (circa)
- Object type: jug
- Materials: copper alloy
- Museum number: 1896,0727.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands a remarkable object known as "The Asante Ewer," though it was originally a jug crafted in England during the late Medieval period. Made of copper alloy, this jug is a striking example of 14th-century English craftsmanship. On its front is the royal coat of arms of England, flanked by two lions. Along the neck are roundels featuring falcons, and the jug’s body carries an intricate medieval inscription discussing wisdom and truth.
This jug eventually reached West Africa and entered the Asante royal court in what is now Ghana. Though how it arrived there remains a mystery, it is believed to have been traded, gifted, or possibly taken. The lid, which remains intact, features a stag and lions, further suggesting a date around the reign of King Richard II.
Today, the jug stands as a symbol of the complex and often overlooked connections between Europe and Africa—long before European colonialism reshaped those relationships.
See it in person
The Asante Ewer is on display in Room 40 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 506, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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