A TIELIMU AND BAITONG BALANCE STAND, WITH IRON PANS AND GRADUATED WEIGHTS, TIANPINGJIA

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

A TIELIMU AND BAITONG BALANCE STAND, WITH IRON PANS AND GRADUATED WEIGHTS, TIANPINGJIA
18th/19th century
The tielimu stand with two long drawers of well-figured grain set with a central metal face plate composed of two sections and flanked by four pulls, with further metal mounts, side handles, and knocking plates, the iron balance stand collapsible to fit neatly in the drawers below, completely fitted with collapsible pans and weights
assembled scale: 27½in. (69.8cm.) high, 18in. (45.7cm.) wide, 8 1/8in. (20.6cm.) deep

Lot Essay

Probably of Fujian manufacture, balance stands such as this were common in China for weighing silver (which was the main form of currency.) The graduated weights are divided into liang (tael), qian (0 liang) and fen, (0 qian). For further discussion of balance stand, see R.D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota, 1999, pp.176-177.

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