**Originally Listed At $300**
Ancient South Asia, India, Gangetic Basic, Copper Hoard Culture, ca. 1000 BCE. A cast-copper chisel or axe head of a lengthy form with a thick body and acutely angled edges along both ends. This object is part of a rather mysterious tradition. In the 1870s, farmers in northern India uncovered hoards of copper items that had been hidden for centuries. Scholars posit that they could have come from refugees fleeing the fall of the Harappan culture in modern-day northern India and Pakistan; others speculate that these hoards belonged to the indigenous Nishada (also Nishadha) people. Studies on the copper items revealed little use-wear, suggesting that most of these pieces were just made to be deposited in the ground. Size: 12.5" L x 1.4" W (31.8 cm x 3.6 cm)
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, purchased February 22, 2016; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-estate of John Piscopo. Mr. Piscopo was one of the largest collectors of ancient weapons in the US with a collection that spanned all cultures and all ages.
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.
#140436
Condition
Minor oxidation to lower end, suggesting that the piece may have been buried next to an iron object. Minor nicks and chips to both sides and peripheries, otherwise intact and very good. Great patina throughout.