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Objects

Balance with its case. Chinese

Title:

Balance with its case

Ethnic groups:

Chinese

Territory:

river Sanhobe, Primorsky Oblast, Ussuri Krai

Date:

late 19th - early 20th century

Collectors:

Museum of the Peoples of the USSR

Material:

Metal: copper; bone; leather; wood; threads (rope)

Dimensions:

scales: 7.5; length 27.0; height 19.0; case: length 29.0; width 9.0; height 2.0

Number:

РЭМ 8761-11141

Annotation:

Consists of a round and flat copper cup suspended on four thin cords from a round bone stick, or beam. One end of the beam is pointed, and the other is flat. Three narrow leather strings are fixed on it. Divisions are shown on the beam by dots. The case consists of two wooden halves pinned together with a metal nail and plate. Inside the case are cavities for the balance and weights. The balance was intended for weighing opium. Due to the high price of the product, the balances were made with a high accuracy and protected against damage by keeping them in special cases.

Albums:
“... You can rely on me”: Vladimir Arseniev’s collections in the Russian Museum of Ethnography
Rus:
Весы с футляром. Китайцы