Coin Weight
Unknown Artist
13th–14th century
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H 1/4 in. (0.6 cm) Diam. 1 1/16 in. (2.7 cm) Wt. 0.2 oz. (5.7 g)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1908
Accession Number
08.256.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass coin weight, dating to the 13th–14th century, hails from the Islamic world and exemplifies the precision craftsmanship of medieval artisans. Measuring just a quarter-inch high and over an inch in diameter, it weighs a mere 0.2 ounces—perfectly suited for verifying the heft of gold dinars or silver dirhams in bustling marketplaces from Baghdad to Cairo. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art collection (acquired via the Rogers Fund in 1908), it highlights everyday tools that supported one of history's great trading empires. In the Islamic Golden Age, standardi...