Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Steelyard Weight
(Roman Empire )
This rare, bronze counterweight was used with a steelyard. Filled with lead, it would have been moved along the calibrated arm of the scales until the beam balanced. This large weight is distinguished by its unusual subject of a young man in a long-sleeved tunic holding a small animal, possibly a lamb; it may therefore have been used by a butcher.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Michael Ward, New York, ca. 1977, by purchase; L. Alexander Wolfe, Jerusalem [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Sale, Frank Sternberg, Zurich, November 20, 1989, no. 423; Walters Art Museum, 1989, by purchase.
Measurements
H: 8 5/8 x W: 4 15/16 x D: 4 in. (21.9 x 12.5 x 10.1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1989
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.2654