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Dagger-Axe (ge)

A work made of bronze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 B.C.)

Artist:

China

About this artwork

The power of the Shang kings depended on their control of bronze production for warfare. The dagger-axe, hafted onto a wood shaft, was the premier weapon of combat. Finely cast examples excavated from tombs suggest that such objects also had strong ritual significance. The rounded butt of this specimen contains a bird in raised lines, which may originally have been inlaid with turquoise.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Dagger-Axe (ge)

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1600 BCE–1046 BCE

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

26.4 × 7.4 × 0.8 cm (10 3/8 × 2 15/16 × 11 in.)

Credit Line

Samuel M. Nickerson Endowment

Reference Number

1949.41

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/64435/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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