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Ceremonial Ax

ca. 500 BCE–300 CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 244
Ax heads made of both stone and bronze are common to the early cultures of South China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Examples dating from the Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age, with rounded heads and simple sockets, are often found in burials, illustrating their value as tools, weapons, and items of prestige. Bronze examples produced during the later part of the Bronze and Iron Age are often in fanciful shapes such as a boat or foot, or have flamboyant curving blades. This highly polished, elegant agate example was most likely a symbol of prestige and may have been used in a burial or given as a gift to mark a political alliance or intermarriage.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ceremonial Ax
  • Period: Bronze and Iron Age period
  • Date: ca. 500 BCE–300 CE
  • Culture: Indonesia
  • Medium: Translucent agate
  • Dimensions: H. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm); W. 3 9/16in. (9 cm)
  • Classification: Hardstone
  • Credit Line: Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
  • Object Number: 2000.284.67
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Ax Head with Human Body
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Weapon Handle with Ganesha, Gold, Indonesia (Java)
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Indonesia (Java)
early 9th–14th century
Ax with Rounded Top, Dark grey stone, Indonesia
Ax with Rounded Top
Indonesia
ca. 500 BCE–300 CE
Ax, Dark gray stone, Indonesia
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Indonesia
ca. 500 BCE–300 CE
Ax with Ridge on Top, Mottled brown stone, Indonesia
Ax with Ridge on Top
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ca. 500 BCE–300 CE

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