Scale
circa 162 -1680
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Inside this box is a pair of scales and 21 brass weights, each a standard measure for various European coins. Merchants and money lenders used sets like this to check that the coins they had been handed were the correct weight and that they had not been clipped (trimmed) for their precious metal.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 21 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Carved wood and moulded brass |
| Brief description | A pair of small scales and seventeen small brass weights for measuring coins, in carved wooden box.; Netherlands, 17th century. |
| Physical description | Scales and weights. A pair of small scales and seventeen small brass weights for weighing coins. In a carved wood box. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | I.D (The pans on the scales and the underside of the brass weights are marked with I.D, believed to be the mark of Jacob Drielenburgh.) |
| Gallery label | UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Before modern transport people largely travelled on foot or on horseback. Useful everyday items needed to be carried comfortably on the body. Some were miniature versions of larger objects, others folded ingeniously to become portable. Often they were intricate and delicate.
These eleven items were personal possessions. Many were made before pockets were commonplace. Some were used in the workplace, some at home and some on the road.
Many have cases as stylish as the objects they protect. These cases came in a range of materials, from expensive ivory and sharkskin to cheaper leather and wood. Their decoration shows the same designs that adorn silver, ceramics and textiles.
All these objects give us interesting insights into work, leisure and social etiquette
2 WEIGHTS AND SCALES
Cast brass, with wooden case
Netherlands, about 1700
Box inscribed with a list of countries, their currencies and weights
Inside this box is a pair of scales and 21 brass weights, each a standard measure for various European coins. Merchants and money lenders used sets like this to check that the coins they had been handed were the correct weight and that they had not been clipped (trimmed) for their precious metal.
Museum no. 59-1876 |
| Summary | Inside this box is a pair of scales and 21 brass weights, each a standard measure for various European coins. Merchants and money lenders used sets like this to check that the coins they had been handed were the correct weight and that they had not been clipped (trimmed) for their precious metal. |
| Bibliographic reference | Dr D.A.Wittop Koning and Dr G.M.M Houben, 2000 Jaar Gewichten in de Nederlanden, 1980. Translation by D Crawforth-Hitchens. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 59:1-1876 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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