Chinese Carpenter's Plumb Line

Dark, dented relief carving, a stubby roller at one end, and a bent wire crank.

This carpenter's plumb line is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is wood. Chinese carpenters traditionally relied on simple hand tools, and marking and measuring devices made of wood were often shaped with care as well as function. Gray-brown box with carved scrollwork on its slanted side and a round knob-handle extending from the front. A dark disk spool is visible in the open top, and a square well stands at the back. It is 7.5 inches wide, 5.5 deep and 3.5 high.

Rough-and-ready, with a crank that means business.