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Source Description
Counterweights for Roman scales were cast in bronze and filled with lead to achieve the appropriate weight. A counterweight was hung on one side of a scale to determine the weight of an object placed in a pan on the other side. Like many Roman objects of everyday utility, such as the oil lamp on the upper shelf behind the desk, it was given the shape of a real or imaginary being, here the head of a maenad, a female follower of the wine-god Bacchus. The elaborate treatment is exceptional for a counterweight; her eyes are silvered, as are those of many Roman bronze busts and figures. The Renaissance sculptor Antico gave his statuette of "Venus" silvered eyes to make it look more antique.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
17489
label
Counterweight in the Shape of a Maenad's Head
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
17489
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Counterweight in the Shape of a Maenad's Head
description
Counterweights for Roman scales were cast in bronze and filled with lead to achieve the appropriate weight. A counterweight was hung on one side of a scale to determine the weight of an object placed in a pan on the other side. Like many Roman objects of everyday utility, such as the oil lamp on the upper shelf behind the desk, it was given the shape of a real or imaginary being, here the head of a maenad, a female follower of the wine-god Bacchus. The elaborate treatment is exceptional for a counterweight; her eyes are silvered, as are those of many Roman bronze busts and figures. The Renaissance sculptor Antico gave his statuette of "Venus" silvered eyes to make it look more antique.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1st century CE (Roman Imperial)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
weights
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
H: 3 3/16 in. (8.1 cm)
Source extras
cul
Roman
med
lead-filled bronze, cast; silver inlay
creator_ids
6191
collection_ids
ROM
exhibition_ids
2666
2189
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
23e39983b448fb1b