Accession No

0744

Brief Description

money scales and weights, by Paul Dorsman, Dutch, 1745-1767

Origin

Netherlands; Amsterdam

Maker

Dorsman, Paul

Class

balances

Earliest Date

1745

Latest Date

1767

Inscription Date

Material

metal (steel, brass, silver); wood (oak); paper; rope (cord)

Dimensions

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased from L.H. Spero, Harrow, in 12/1933.

Inscription

‘Deze Gewigten maakt
en verkoopt
PAULUS DORSMAN,
Essajeur
en Mr. Balansemaker,
tot AMSTERDAM.’ (label in lid)

Description Notes

Steel beam and fittings; swan’s neck beam ends; self-locating steel knife-edge and ring bearings with index with ring base. Ring bearing on extension of gallows for brass ring and tassel. Silvered brass pans; one circular and one triangular, with cords and brass hooks.
Oak box with slots for seven weights and drawer below sliding from end with slots for 10 weights. Slot for fractional weights in top with sliding lid, but bottom broken through to drawer below. 11 weights extant; 1 fractional weight; denominations marked in ink over slots. 5 weights stamped with manufacturer's mark (see catalogue card for depiction).
Box decorated with geometrical floral tooling and fastened with hook. Hand-coloured paper label in lid illustrating Neptune.

Incomplete (some of the weights missing)

References

Events