Minneapolis Institute of Art
Abacus
ChinaLinkedCulture matchlcp-7111c01d5494
- Date
- c. 1800
- Medium
- Huang-hua-li and t'zu-tan hardwood
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 31365
The Chinese abacus, a mechanical counting device, was developed about 5, 000 years ago. It was built of wood and beads and could be easily carried. The form of abacus we know today appeared around 1200 a.d. and is called suan-pan . This classic type has two heads on the upper deck and five on the lower. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are possible with the abacus, and in the hands of a skilled operator, it is faster than a mechanical calculator. Made of precious hardwoods, this abacus was likely used in a large, aristocratic household for keeping financial accounts. China, Asia
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.