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Steelyard weight in the form of a bust of an empress
Byzantine
Early Byzantine Period
4th-7th century A.D.
Medium/Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height: 17.8 (7 in.); width x depth at base: 8.4 x 6.4 cm (3 5/16 x 2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
William E. Nickerson Fund, No. 2
Accession Number59.961
CollectionsEurope, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsTools and equipment – Weights and measures
Catalogue Raisonné
Greek, Etruscan, & Roman Bronzes (MFA), no. 644; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 127 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe bust of an empress has large bulging eyes with incised pupils that are framed by eyebrows and eyelids. A jeweled diadem rests upon her neatly coiffed hair, which is covered in a hairnet, as indicated by cross-hatched incisions. She wears a himation (cloak), in which both her arms are wrapped, over a tunic. The circular markings on her garment suggest a pattern in fine linen or silk. She is further adorned with a large pearl necklace and earrings and holds a scroll. Green and dark brown to black patina.
This object, known as a counterpoise, was made using the lost wax casting technique. The hollow bronze bust was then filled with a lead core, which is still preserved and projects below the molded base. The lead made the object the appropriate weight for its corresponding steelyard. The suspension ring on the top of the counterpoise allowed it to be hung from a suspension hook, which was attached to a steelyard.
This object, known as a counterpoise, was made using the lost wax casting technique. The hollow bronze bust was then filled with a lead core, which is still preserved and projects below the molded base. The lead made the object the appropriate weight for its corresponding steelyard. The suspension ring on the top of the counterpoise allowed it to be hung from a suspension hook, which was attached to a steelyard.
ProvenanceBy date unknown: with Hesperia Art, 2219 St. James Place, Philadelphia 3, Pa. (said to have been acquired in Istanbul); purchased by MFA from Hesperia Art, December 10, 1959, for $ 1,200.00