Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Among the most striking Byzantine weights to have survived are the imperial weights issued in the late 4th and 5th centuries. Typically they depict the same royal figures seen on coins to promote the legitimacy and stability of the state and to guarantee their validity as "honest weights." Used on balance scales, the weights were sometimes filled with lead to make them heavier.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
143370
label
Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
143370
contentType
object
title
Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress
description
Among the most striking Byzantine weights to have survived are the imperial weights issued in the late 4th and 5th centuries. Typically they depict the same royal figures seen on coins to promote the legitimacy and stability of the state and to guarantee their validity as "honest weights." Used on balance scales, the weights were sometimes filled with lead to make them heavier.
date
27 BCE–14 CE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80043888
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 10.1 x 5.4 x 5.6 cm (4 x 2 1/8 x 2 3/16 in.)
cul
Roman, Augustan period
accession
1967.28
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress, 27 BCE–14 CE. Roman, Augustan period. Bronze; overall: 10.1 x 5.4 x 5.6 cm (4 x 2 1/8 x 2 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1967.28
collection
GR - Roman
citations
citation
“Year in Review.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 54, no. 10 (December 1967): 302–346.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 304; Mentioned: p. 342, no. 27
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 36
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 35
citation
N. Franken, "Modefrisuren als Grundlage zur Datierung römischer Büstengewichte,"<em> </em>in: <em>Akten der 10. Internationalen Tagung über antike Bronzen. Freiburg, 18.–22. 7. 1988. Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg 45 (1994) p. 147–153 esp. p. 148 - 149 fig. 3 - 4.</em>
citation
N. Franken, <em>Aequipondia. Figürliche Laufgewichte römischer und frühbyzantinischer Schnellwaagen</em> (PhD Diss 1994) p. 151 no. A 181 pl. 54 a-b.
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:22:06.197000
sourceId
143370
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Roman
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ea94de0834204b05