Accession No

0571

Brief Description

money scales and weights, by Tobias Martin Kolb, German, 1787

Origin

Germany; Nuremberg

Maker

Kolb, Tobias Martin

Class

balances

Earliest Date

1787

Latest Date

1787

Inscription Date

1787

Material

metal (steel, brass); wood; rope (cord); cloth (felt)

Dimensions

breadth 157 mm; length 240 mm; height 115 mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from Antique Art Galleries, Grafton Street, London, England on 06/12/1929.

Inscription

‘TK’ (circular pan)
‘TMK’ (triangular pan)
‘AS’ (hinged lid for fractional weights)
‘Jaison... Ano 1787’ (box, some illegible)

Description Notes

Steel beam and fittings; swan’s neck ends; self-locating steel knife edge and ring bearings. Index over with pierced base; gallows with ring bearing to brass suspension loop. Ring bearing between two plates forming swan’s neck ends for suspension of two brass pans, one circular, one triangular, both with maker’s stamp.
Beam suspended from turned brass pillar which screws into pillar on box; on top of the pillar is a pivoted suspension arm of anthropomorphic design; arm raised by cord operated by brass lion weight. Drawer in base box with slots for 16 weights; 9 pairs brass disc-shaped weights; one half denomination of the other with turned handle fitting through hole in larger (or sometimes smaller, 13-1-2000) weight. 7 other weights, 3 with handles. Slot for fractional weights (none extant) with hinged lid. Turned handle on drawer. Box with geometric marquetry design.
See catalogue card for depiction of maker’s marks.

Incomplete (fractional weights missing)

References

Events