Harvard Art Museums > 1943.52.23: Ceremonial Axe Ritual Implements Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Ceremonial Axe , 1943.52.23,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 15, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/204567. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text One of the earliest forms of Chinese writing is preserved in the simple inscriptions on bronze vessels from the late Shang period. Integrally cast into the bronzes — as opposed to being incised into the vessel after the metal had hardened — these marks were usually placed on the interior wall or floor of a vessel; the lids of covered vessels had matching marks on their undersides. Shang inscriptions tend to be highly pictographic, with many resembling birds, weapons, or humanoid figures. The inscriptions are not always translatable into modern Chinese characters, but most are identifiable as the names of either the aristocratic owners who commissioned the vessels, or the ancestors to whom they were dedicated. During the succeeding Zhou dynasty, written characters became more standardized and bronze inscriptions lengthened, often commemorating an event in which the person commissioning the bronze was involved. Bronze inscriptions were thus akin to historical texts worthy of preservation and study. Identification and Creation Object Number 1943.52.23 Title Ceremonial Axe Classification Ritual Implements Work Type axe Date 14th-11th century BCE Places Creation Place: East Asia, China Period Shang dynasty, c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE Culture Chinese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/204567 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 Technique Cast Dimensions H. 22.2 x W. 15.7 x Thickness 1.5 cm (8 3/4 x 6 3/16 x 9/16 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 1943.52.23 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. Publication History Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation and Arthur M. Sackler Museum (Washington, D.C. and Cambridge, Mass., 1987), p. 454, fig. 82.1 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
