Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
March 12, 1810
Primary Source Reference:
Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 50
Notes:
This object may have been a Russian abacus (or schoty), an example of which is pictured here, which was invented in the 17th century. It was made of wood or metal specifically for counting rubles and kopeks (the Russian currency). The Japanese and Chinese abacus influenced the design of this abacus, which has eleven rows of wooden beads/pebbles sliding on them.
Andrei Yakovlevich Dashkov (1775-1831) was the first Russian diplomat in the United States, arriving in Philadelphia in July 1809 and serving as the Russian consul general in the U.S. 1808-1811 and as the Russian minister 1811-1817.
