The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 16, 2026

A dark bronze sculpture depicts a woman from the shoulders up, facing directly forward. She has large eyes, a straight nose, and a closed mouth. Her hair is styled in thick, vertical segments secured by a narrow band, with braids hanging beside her neck. A small metal loop rises from the crown of her head. The weathered bronze has a smooth surface showing greenish-black tones.

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.)
John L. Severance Fund 1967.28
Location: Not on view

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.
  • (J. J. Klejman, New York).
  • “Year in Review.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 54, no. 10 (December 1967): 302–346. Reproduced: p. 304; Mentioned: p. 342, no. 27 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 36 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 35 archive.org
    N. Franken, "Modefrisuren als Grundlage zur Datierung römischer Büstengewichte," in: 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.
    N. Franken, Aequipondia. Figürliche Laufgewichte römischer und frühbyzantinischer Schnellwaagen (PhD Diss 1994) p. 151 no. A 181 pl. 54 a-b.
  • Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress|url=false|author=|year=27 BCE–14 CE|access-date=16 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.28