Blade

Blade of the type ch’i [chn]. Both socketed and slotted for hafting. Decorated with casting in relief. Heavily encrusted with malachite; some azurite; small areas of unaltered metal.

Historical period(s)
Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-221 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W: 30.4 x 16.2 cm (11 15/16 x 6 3/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1934.4a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Weapon and Armament
Type

Blade

Keywords
China, Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 221 BCE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Blade of the type ch'i [chn]. Both socketed and slotted for hafting. Decorated with casting in relief. Heavily encrusted with malachite; some azurite; small areas of unaltered metal.

Published References
  • Sueji Umehara. Chugoku shutsudo no ichigun no doriki ni tsuite [One Find of Ancient Bronze Tools in China]. Kyoto. pl. 1.
  • 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.
  • Hsueh-chin Li. Several Shang, Chou Objects Collected in America and Australia. no. 12. pp. 72-76.
  • 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. 93, pl. 46.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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