Dagger-axe (ge 戈), fragment reworked

Small dagger axe, type ko [ge] 戈. Smoothly polished, mottled cream-buff jade, with earth accretions. The curving blade has a median crest that stops at the conical perforation on the tang, which has a diagonal butt. The narrow upper and lower facets of the blade curve outward with the tip of the blade being badly damaged. Traces of red pigment.

Historical period(s)
Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 2.4 x 8.3 x 0.3 cm (15/16 x 3 5/16 x 1/8 in)
Geography
China, probably Henan province, Anyang
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1979.35
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: dagger-axe (ge)

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), Carl Whiting Bishop collection, China
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Small dagger axe, type ko [ge] 戈. Smoothly polished, mottled cream-buff jade, with earth accretions. The curving blade has a median crest that stops at the conical perforation on the tang, which has a diagonal butt. The narrow upper and lower facets of the blade curve outward with the tip of the blade being badly damaged. Traces of red pigment.

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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