Scales and Balances

September 1989

Interior Design

From the tiniest jeweler's beamscale to the oversized contraption
devised to weigh farm animals, scales have been created to serve
specific purposes. The function has dictated the design, and from the
beginning scales were strictly utilitarian. And since the objects to be
measured were so diverse in size and shape, many varieties of scales
were invented.

The most common type of scale is a balance--an instrument consisting of
a centrally pivoted beam with two containers of equal weight on either
end. This kind of scale has been used since classical times, and is
traditionally made of brass with a wood base. The balancing mechanism is
held across the central post, and suspended from it, on chain or wire,
are two flat or rounded platforms. Material to be weighed is placed in
one container while the other holds graduated weights. Balance scales
have been used to weigh a wide gamut of objects from pills to powders
and gold and silver, gemstones to food. As the uses of these scales
became more widespread, their designs grew more sophisticated. New
materials were substituted for the traditional ones; copper or silver
for the central mechanism, glass, pottery or even stone for the
containers. At the same time, modifications in the structure of the
scales were created for aesthetic reasons rather than utilitarian ones.
The variety of elaborate designs and imaginative materials coupled with
a universal fascination with the concepts of movement and balance made
these scales interesting to collectors.

Another kind of scale, based on the same principle, became popular in
England after the Uniform Postal Act of 1840. These scales, which were
constructed to weigh letters and packages, combined the balancing
pendulum with split stays, called Roberval designs. The base of the
letter scale was traditionally small and rectangular, the central
mechanism wide and short, and the two weighing platforms rested on the
horizontal balancing arm. Often the weights were set into the base.

These postal scales became very popular during the Victorian era. The
bases, which were first made in a pear or box wood in simple straight
lines, became more ornate; they were fluted or scalloped in exotic
striped or burled woods. Later scales appeared in brass, silver and even
gold plate. Sometimes the base was fashioned in marble or semi-precious
stone like malachite, lapis or agate with matching platforms. Elaborate
bases in papier-mache with painted flowers and inlaid mother-of-pearl
were created; the French influence was observed in bases made of boulle
(tortoise shell and brass), shagreen (sharkskin) or fine porcelain like
Sevres or Limoges. Letter scales were included in ornate Victorian desk
sets along with inkstands, blotters, letter racks, stamp boxes and book
ends.

A fine example of a collectible English scale is one was made by Parkins
and Gotto in London in the 19th century. The mechanism is not the usual
split-stay design, but an exceptional single platform type in brass and
wood, found in a shop called Mantiques on the second level of the
Manhattan Antiques Center. Organized around the principle of gender
preference, the proprietor of this establishment has a fascinating stock of
scales and balances as well as other measuring instruments.

As a scale collector myself, I am always drawn to the possibilities of
antique scales as accessories in residential design. On a desk, in a
bookcase, on a library table or a kitchen counter, an appropriate and
beautiful scale can add the perfect touch.

Elegant old scales are not easy to find. With the exception of
Mantiques, which always has a selection, no one shop in New York
specializes. From time to time, I have found an unusual old balance
scale at Ann Morris on 60th Street. In Agostino on lower Broadway, a
client and I discovered a gold plated letter scale with a fluted base
and Florentine marble plaques set into the platforms. Kentshire around
the corner has a plethora of small antiques in its third floor
Collectors Gallery. Occasionally an elegant English postal scale turns
up. Recently I spotted a complete desk set, including a scale, in a
striated calamander wood overlaid with engraved and gilded brass mounts.
As I stopped to admire it, another designer purchased it for a lucky
client.

PHOTO : A unique single platform mid-19th century English postal scale
in polished brass with a scalloped base in burled wood.