Harvard Art Museums > 1943.52.20: Knife with Pronged Attachment (perhaps for punching leather), Ordos Type Weapons and Ammunition Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Knife with Pronged Attachment (perhaps for punching leather), Ordos Type , 1943.52.20,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 21, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/204566. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text Although there are no contemporaneous records explaining the meaning of the decorations on Shang bronzes, the preponderance of zoomorphic motifs and the emergence of animal-shaped vessels made of bronze or jade are clear indications of the importance of animals in the repertoire of Shang artisans. The principle Shang motif was the animal mask, referred to in later texts as a taotie. This enigmatic image (seen repeatedly on vessels in the adjacent cases) is not identifiable as any one beast but appears to be a composite of creatures both real and imagined, with two stark eyes, horns, ears, and fangs. During the late Shang period (14th–11th century BCE), animal-shaped vessels began to be cast, perhaps in response to zoomorphic bronzes introduced from southern China. The guang wine vessel displayed here is a magnificent example — it cleverly incorporates a tiger at the front of the vessel and an owl at the back handle; the animals’ heads are represented on the lid and their more subtly rendered bodies are on the vessel. Identification and Creation Object Number 1943.52.20 Title Knife with Pronged Attachment (perhaps for punching leather), Ordos Type Classification Weapons and Ammunition Work Type knife Date probably 11th century BCE Places Creation Place: East Asia, China Period Shang dynasty (c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE) to Western Zhou period (c. 1050-771 BCE) Culture Chinese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/204566 Location Location Level 1, Room 1740, Early Chinese Art, Arts of Ancient China from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Cast bronze Dimensions L. 28.5 x W. 5.5 x D. 2.5 cm (11 1/4 x 2 3/16 x 1 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Grenville L. Winthrop, New York (by 1943), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop Accession Year 1943 Object Number 1943.52.20 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS. The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Exhibition History S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008 32Q: 1740 Early China I, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050 Subjects and Contexts Google Art Project 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
