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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.91
Title
Miniature Jade Dagger-Axe with 'Taotie' Decor
Other Titles
Alternate Title: ko
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
dagger-axe
Date
11th-10th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Shang dynasty (c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE) to Western Zhou period (c. 1050-771 BCE)
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204956

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Translucent olive-green jade, whitish where calcification has taken place
Dimensions
H. 11 x W. 4 x D. 0.6 cm (4 5/16 x 1 9/16 x 1/4 in.)
Weight 63 g

Published Text

Catalogue
Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University
Authors
Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber
Publisher
Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975)

Catalogue entry no. 67 by Max Loehr:

67 Miniature Dagger-Axe with T’ao-t’ieh Décor
Translucent olive-green jade, whitish where calcification has taken place. The blade is straight and has a symmetrical tip—features reminiscent of No. 46. Its lower edge curves downward to form a vertical edge, or hu, as commonly seen on bronze ko; there is no tang. On both faces, a t’ao-t’ieh mask, aligned along the median of the blade, is carved out in thread relief. Its mushroom-shaped horns almost touch the back; its sides are delimited by the thin ridges running parallel to the longitudinal edges and meeting at the tip, where they are joined by the median ridge. The blade is perforated between the horns of the mask. Across the left face of the hu runs a deep scar. Shang.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.91
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975), cat. no. 67, p. 73

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu