WEIGHING SCALE. IRON. WIDOW OF JOSÉ MENAYA, VALENCIA, SPAIN, CIRCA SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY.

Scale with weights. Iron. Widow of José Menaya, Valencia (Spain), around the second half of the 19th century. Iron scale made up of a swinging arm with a structure at each end from which hooks hang, and elements in the centre that determine the weight (note the hook to hang it, the needle to measure the weights and the elements that still show traces of gilding). On the front it has an inscription in capital letters (Viuda de José / Menaya Valencia) related to its place of creation. They are accompanied by a remnant of a chain of elongated links and eight circular weights with rings at the top of different sizes. D. José Menaya is given an honourable mention for a collection of scales at the Valencia Regional Exhibition of the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in the “public session of 1867”. It is said that in the second room there are “Scales and safes by D. José Menaya”, and that “the José Menaya workshop” specialised in scales (succeeding Malabouche in this market niche)” at the Valencia Regional Exhibition of 1909. The Museum of Spanish Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain), preserves a hand scale with a case by José Menaya, mentioning that he was a “weight refiner” from Valencia, located on Calle Cerrajeros. Weight: 45 kg.

· Size: 190x23x80 cms