Pascal’s calculator cannot leave France
A French court has suspended the export permit for one of the world’s earliest mechanical calculating machines, invented by Blaise Pascal, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the court, the decision was issued on the eve of the machine’s scheduled auction.
Heritage protection associations and several private applicants petitioned the court, insisting that the device should not be exported because of its exceptional historical and scientific value.
The judge supported their argument and noted that the auction was scheduled for 19 November, leaving extremely limited time to review the dispute. For this reason, the case was considered under an accelerated procedure.
Pascal’s machine, originally created to facilitate land-survey calculations, may be recognized as a national treasure of France. Under French law, objects granted this status cannot be exported. The court also stated that there is a serious doubt regarding the legality of the Culture Minister’s earlier decision to issue an export permit.
As a result, the court temporarily prohibited the machine from being taken out of France. Until the final ruling is issued, it must remain within the country’s borders.
The decision is temporary and remains in force until a judgment on the merits is delivered.
Earlier, it was reported that amid the growing global interest in cultural and artistic heritage, new price records continue to emerge. On 18 November, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, the painting “Elisabeth Lederer” by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was sold for 236.36 million dollars, becoming the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction.
