General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Wood and bronze.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

14.7 cm

Width

4.1 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Exploration and Survey

Category

Survey equipment

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Part of the George Petrovic Collection of Scientific Instruments. George Petrovic was born in Yugoslavia and lived in Serbia and Montreal. Dr. Petrovic studied, practised, and taught architecture, held a doctorate in technical science, and was a member of the International Committee for Historical Metrology, in Basil, Switzerland. The collection of tools, which is international in scope and importance, includes rules, compasses, plumb bobs, levels and dividers that date from the 12th to the 20th centuries. This collection provides a base for research in the science of measurement and a context for measuring tools used both in and outside of Canada.

Function

Suspended from an instrument by means of a line, a plumb bob is used to determine the instrument's vertical centre or perpendicularity.

Technical

Design suggests that it might be Spanish in origin. The plumb bob has remained relatively unchanged since antiquity. Though it can be made out of different materials and its shape may vary, the principle remains the same: a symmetrical weight is suspended from its broad end on a cord or a chain. This plumb bob is largely made of wood. Its ornate shape is not a technical development, but a product of the aesthetic values of its maker and user.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

None

Finish

Unknown

Decoration

N/A