Axe with masks (taotie)

Weapon (axe) of the type ch’i. Green to gray patina with occasional patches of azurite and cuprite. Hole through upper center of blade below inscription of one character. Upper edge and nei period for hafting.

Historical period(s)
early Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1200 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 34 × 25.4 × 1.7 cm (13 3/8 × 10 × 11/16 in)
Geography
China, probably Henan province, Anyang
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1946.5
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 23b: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Weapon and Armament
Type

Weapon: axehead

Keywords
China, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Weapon (axe) of the type ch'i. Green to gray patina with occasional patches of azurite and cuprite. Hole through upper center of blade below inscription of one character. Upper edge and nei period for hafting.

Inscription(s)

Inscribed on one side, Zheng 正 (“Military Officer of Campaigns Abroad”)

Published References
  • Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary, 1946-1947. Washington. pl. 2.
  • The First Writing: Script Invention as History and Process. New York and Cambridge. p. 205, fig. 78.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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