Dagger-Ax with Ferrule
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The dagger-ax (ge) was the chief hand weapon of the Chinese army until the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 B.C.), when the two-pronged halberd (ji) replaced it as the infantry’s and newly formed cavalry’s weapon of choice. By the Western Han period, the dagger-ax served only as ritual paraphernalia.
Exquisitely crafted bronze dagger-axes with gold, silver, or gilded finials and ferrules (zun) are often found in pairs among the tomb furnishings of princes. The duck-shaped finial and hoof-shaped ferrule of the present example suggest that it was a ceremonial weapon, used in ritual processions.
Exquisitely crafted bronze dagger-axes with gold, silver, or gilded finials and ferrules (zun) are often found in pairs among the tomb furnishings of princes. The duck-shaped finial and hoof-shaped ferrule of the present example suggest that it was a ceremonial weapon, used in ritual processions.
Artwork Details
- 西汉 金鐏金冒铜戈
- Title: Dagger-Ax with Ferrule
- Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Dagger-ax: bronze; ferrule: gold
- Dimensions: Dagger: L. 8 3/4 in. (22.3 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Lent by Zibo City Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art