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THBPublished Shang Bronze Pole Axe - Dragon & Phoenix
Lot 105a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$9,000 - $12,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 10, 2018
Set Reminder
2018-05-10 10:00:00
2018-05-10 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Ethnographic / Asian / Ancient Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-ethnographic-asian-ancient-art-3213
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (407)
- Lot Description
East Asia, China, Shang Dynasty, ca. 16th to 11th century BCE. Wow! An incredible stylized, ritual bronzepole axe blade, cast in a single piece. This was an early pole weapon, with a dagger-shaped blade mounted by its socket to a perpendicular wooden shaft. On this example, the butt of the axe contains a classic motif from Chinese mythology depicting a dragon and a phoenix locked together. The phoenix body is part of the shaft and the lower part of the blade, while the dragon forms the majority of the butt, aside from the phoenix's head. Both figures have their bodies richly decorated with cast lines forming scales, feathers, eyes, claws, and fur. Size: 6" L x 2.875" W x 2.75" H (15.2 cm x 7.3 cm x 7 cm); 5.3" H (13.5 cm) on included custom stand.
The dragon and the phoenix are two of the most important symbols in Chinese art and literature, often appearing together. In legend, the phoenix is the most beautiful of all birds, called the feng huang, and the etymology of the name is derived from "emperor". The phoenix will only appear in times of prosperity and peace, second only in the supernatural creatures of the Chinese pantheon to the dragon. The dragon, meanwhile, is symbolic of change, strength, and goodness, and the emblem of the power of the Emperor.
The military was hugely important in the Shang Dynasty. Emperors had at their disposal a large, powerful army containing tens of thousands of warriors, who fought on foot and in chariots, using ges, halberds, axes, and many other weapons. Shang art - including pictographs on oracle bone inscriptions - depicts military events and how to use weapons. Much bronze weaponry was also made for the grave, to signify the wealth and power of the dead. As a result, they were made to be beautiful, with complex motifs holding important mythological and religious meaning.
Published in "Zheng Guo Gudai Leng Bing Qi" (Ancient Chinese Cold Weapons) by Zheng Yiwei, 2008; photo on page 65 - please note this book is not available in English.
Provenance: private J. Connell collection, Massachusetts, USA
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.
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#127390Pretty turquoise and azurite patina, with deep blue azurite deposits along the blade edge. Previous owner may have tried to clean the patina from the center of the blade on both sides. Excellent preserved details.Condition
- Shipping Info
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