Chinese Carpenter's Plumb Line

Rippled front like a sleeping caterpillar and a key-fret panel at the tail.

This carpenter's plumb line is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is wood. A plumb line is a cord with a weight at its end, used since ancient times to establish a true vertical when building and framing. Light reddish-brown box with a scalloped, wavy front edge, fine horizontal grooves along the side, and a square fret pattern at the back. A spool and open well sit in the top, with a bent wire hanging below. It is 8.5 inches wide, 3.75 deep and 2 high.

Wavy up front, tidy at the back.