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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.112
Title
Heavy Jade Axe
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
axe
Date
c. 3300 BCE - c. 2000 BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, c. 3300-2200 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/199628

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Grayish green stone with light gray veins
Dimensions
12.8 x 8.4 x 1.5 cm (5 1/16 x 3 5/16 x 9/16 in.)
272 g

Published Text

Catalogue
Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University
Authors
Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber
Publisher
Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975)

Catalogue entry no. 3 by Max Loehr:

3 Heavy Axe
Grayish green stone with a maze of light gray veins. Flattish, biconvex body with straight, slightly tapering sides; the butt seems half-finished or possibly was reground, and the cutting edge, slightly curved, is no longer in pristine condition. The rather large perforation, drilled from both sides, shows a sharp ridge in the middle of the wall. Neolithic(?).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.112
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, Fogg Art Museum, 1975)., cat. no. 3, p. 34
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 12, p. 20

Exhibition History

  • S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu