East Asia, China, Warring States Period, 476 to 221 BCE. A silvered-bronze ge weapon with a dagger-shaped blade and rectangular butt end. This is an incredibly beautiful and rare ge head, this example was clearly a functional prestige weapon of an ancient aristocrat warrior - ancient bronze weapons that are silvered or gilded are exclusively of prestige origin. Because of their exorbitant cost, such weapons were beyond the means of the average warrior. Not only does this specimen show incredible and intact silvering over the bronze, but the encrustations naturally took on a tiger-stripe pattern over the entire weapon. While coincidental, this bizarre effect adds a deep mystique to this piece - the ferocity of the tiger's spirit in combat! The patina is truly breath-taking and even the light cleaning on the tip exposes the underlying ancient bronze with deep cuprite inclusions and deposits, true signs of age and authenticity. Size: 7.1" L x 4.25" W (18 cm x 10.8 cm)
Provenance: ex-private E.F. Simpson collection, California, USA, from the 1970s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#172848
Condition
Intact with no repair or restoration. Heavy mineral deposits. Light cleaning by the original collector on tip.