Pole axe with supernatural figure

Historical period(s)
Early Western Zhou period, ca. 1050–975 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 33.9 × 15.3 × 3.3 cm (13 3/8 × 6 × 1 5/16 in)
Geography
China, Henan province, purportedly from Xunxian
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1934.3a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Weapon and Armament
Type

Weapon

Keywords
China, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Published References
  • William Watson. The Art of Dynastic China. New York, 1981. ill. 254.
  • Sueji Umehara. Shina kokogaku ronko [Studies in Chinese Archaeology]. Showa 13 Tokyo, 1938-1940. pl. 147, fig. 2.
  • Sueji Umehara. Chugoku shutsudo no ichigun no doriki ni tsuite [One Find of Ancient Bronze Tools in China]. Kyoto. pl. 1.
  • Cheng Te-k'un. Archaeology in China. 3 vols., Cambridge, England. vol. 3: pl. 31a.
  • Dagny Carter. China Magnificent: 5000 Years of Chinese Art. New York. p. 19.
  • Huang Jun. Tsun ku chai so chien chi chin t'u/Zun gu zhai suo jian ji jin tu: Illustrations of bronzes seen by the author. Beijing. p. 42.
  • Compiled by the staff of the Freer Gallery of Art. A Descriptive and Illustrative Catalogue of Chinese Bronzes: Acquired During the Administration of John Ellerton Lodge. Oriental Studies Series, no. 3 Washington, 1946. p. 45, pl. 92.
  • Sarah Allan. He Flies Like a Bird; He Dives Like a Dragon; Who is That Man in the Tiger Mouth?: Shamanic Images in Shang and Early Western Zhou Art. vol. 41, no. 3 Hong Kong, April 2010. p. 51, fig. 14.
  • Doris J. Dohrenwend. Jade Demonic Images from Early China. vol. 10 Washington and Ann Arbor, 1975. pp. 55-78, pl. 18, fig. 65.
  • Rutherford John Gettens, Roy S. Clarke, Jr., W. Thomas Chase. Two Early Chinese Bronze Weapons with Meteoritic Iron Blades. vol. 4, no. 1 Washington, 1971. p. 59, fig. 28.
  • The Horizon Book of the Arts of China. New York. p. 60.
  • Hsueh-chin Li. Several Shang, Chou Objects Collected in America and Australia. no. 12. pp. 72-76.
  • New Frontiers in Global Archaeology: Defining China's Ancient Traditions [Quan qiu hua bei jing xia kao gu xue xin qian yan: jie du Zhongguo gu dai chuan tong]. New York, 2008. p. 310.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use

Related Objects