Rare 17th Century Calculator Withdrawn from Auction
A landmark piece of computing history, a 1642 calculating machine designed by the French prodigy Blaise Pascal, has been dramatically withdrawn from a Christie's auction after a Paris court intervened to prevent its potential export from France. The instrument, known as La Pascaline, was expected to sell for more than €2 million (£1.8 million) before the legal ruling suspended its sale.
Court Halts Export Citing 'National Treasure' Status
The Paris administrative court issued a provisional suspension on Tuesday, blocking the authorisation for the machine to leave the country. The court stated that La Pascaline is likely to be classified as a 'national treasure', a designation that automatically prevents the issuance of an export certificate. This decisive move came in response to an urgent appeal lodged by a consortium of eminent French scientists and researchers.
Christie's confirmed the withdrawal of the device on Wednesday, stating the action was taken "in accordance with the instructions of our client" and pending the court's final ruling, a process that could take several months. The machine was part of an auction of the library of the late collector Léon Parcé and had been in private hands since 1942.
A Revolutionary Machine and a Scientific Plea
Blaise Pascal, the renowned mathematician, physicist, and philosopher, conceived and built La Pascaline in 1642 when he was just 19 years old. He developed it to aid his father, who was tasked with managing tax revenue collections. Christie's had billed the device as "the most important scientific instrument ever offered at auction" and "the first attempt in history to substitute the work of a machine for that of the human mind".
This particular model, one of only eight authentic Pascalines known to exist, was designed for surveyors and calculates in historical units of measurement. The group of protesting scientists, which included 2021 Nobel physics laureate Giorgio Parisi, argued passionately in a Le Monde op-ed that La Pascaline represents "the origin of modern computing" and is a "shining symbol" of France's intellectual heritage.
They accused the state of an "astounding blunder" for initially granting an export certificate, lamenting the "disinterest in our scientific heritage". The scientists emphasised that while five other Pascalines reside in French public collections, each machine has unique characteristics, and this little-studied example is vital for further research.
In its defence, the French culture ministry stated that the export certificate was issued in May following standard procedures, with two independent experts from prestigious institutions approving the decision. The future of this pivotal artefact in the history of computing now rests with the Paris court's final judgment.
