A Chinese gold scale (a) and case (b). a) A scale with a long thin rod made from gibbon bone with a scale marked along its length with small dots. A brass pan is suspended by a black thread through a hole at the blunt end of the rod. There is a single thread at 9.5 cm from the blunt end that acts…
A Chinese gold scale (a) and case (b). a) A scale with a long thin rod made from gibbon bone with a scale marked along its length with small dots. A brass pan is suspended by a black thread through a hole at the blunt end of the rod. There is a single thread at 9.5 cm from the blunt end that acts as a fulcrum to hang the rod. b) A violin-shaped case made of carved bamboo that is hinged with brass at the end of the stem. A braided rattan ring slides down the stem to secure it when closed. There are carved areas insidethe case to fit the pan, rod and weight. The case is marked with a symbol carved into the outside. There is also a red and white paper inside with Chinese characters and “Ex.B Harry Sam” handwritten.