Wooden Box with Bronze Balance Scale

Wooden Box with Bronze Balance Scale

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scales such as these were used throughout the Byzantine world to measure money and other lightweight objects. According to Byzantine law, the suspension cord of the scales was to be held by two fingers of one hand, with the other fingers straight to ensure that no undue pressure was placed on the scales. The wooden storage container protected the delicate balance of the mechanism.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wooden Box with Bronze Balance ScaleWooden Box with Bronze Balance ScaleWooden Box with Bronze Balance ScaleWooden Box with Bronze Balance ScaleWooden Box with Bronze Balance Scale

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.