Antique Copper and Iron Balance Scales

A very large, decorative and unusual set of balance scales in copper and iron, with a wrought iron balance arm and mounting hook, a central cast iron weight and two large copper bowls. Although a functional item, it has been designed and made with thought to its appearance and there are some beautiful details to the cast iron arm. I believe this dates to the early 19th century, though it could be a little older. I acquired this from a local lady who was downsizing, and she told me that she’d seen it hung in the window of a London antiques shop in the 1970s and bought it to hang in the large window of the house she had at that time. It’s a very striking thing, but does need a large space to hang in (and also a sturdy hook to hang from as it's quite heavy). I can see it used as a shop display item in a greengrocers or bakery, as I think it would have been used to measure out either vegetables or flour/grain - it seems too large to have been intended for measuring anything more delicate such as spices, but that’s my guess only and I can’t say for sure what its use would have been. This was broken down to its component parts when we got it, and it was difficult to reassemble, so we will ship it assembled so it’s ready to hang up without any difficulties. Dimensions: Overall height including hook - approximately 127cm Maximum width across the copper bowls - approximately 97cm Width across the balance arm - approximately 62cm Diameter of the copper bowls - approximately 34.5cm