清乾隆 鎏金銅嵌料石小算盤 |

香港邦翰斯2014年11月27日，編號126

This superb quality abacus assumes a new identity as both a tool and an artwork in its own right through the use of the Western-inspired technique of glass-paste inlay. It conveys the wealth and opulence of the Qianlong period and the great variety of materials and artisans available at the Emperor’s disposal. Such elaborate glass paste-inset decorated instruments are rare, and the current example appears to be unique.

The abacus, suanpan (counting tray), was an essential instrument for every merchant, trader and clerk in ancient China. While the earliest known record of this device dates back to circa 1st century B.C. as documented in Zhoubi Suanjin [Arithmetical Classic of the Gnomon and the Circular Paths of Heaven], the present rectangular form featuring two decks and eleven rods appears to have been in use since the Ming dynasty. For a further discussion of the history and use of the Chinese abacus, see 'The Abacus', Orientations, September 1970, vol. 1, no. 9, p. 46.