string(20) "edanmdm:fsg_F1978.31" Dagger-axe (ge 戈), fragment reworked - National Museum of Asian Art
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art National Museum of Asian Art
Toggle Menu Search

Site Search

The Collections and Archives

Search The Collections

Dagger-axe (ge 戈), fragment reworked

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 2
IIIF

Terms of Use

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 2000-ca. 1400 BCE

  • Geography

    probably Henan province, China

  • Material

    Jade (nephrite)

  • Dimension

    H x W x D: 11 x 27.8 x 0.5 cm (4 3/8 x 10 15/16 x 3/16 in)

  • Accession Number

    F1978.31

  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1978.31

Object Details

  • Description

    Ceremonial weapon: blade. Opaque, buff colored surface with white and dark brown mottling over a large portion of both sides. The blade is flat, with a conical perforation between the shoulders and on each of the two projections at the top of the blade. The edges of the two projections and the space between them are decorated with evenly placed serrations. The square ended tang is narrower than the blade itself. Three edges of the blade are beveled. On the top half of the blade and on the tang, there is an incised pattern of parallel straight lines. In the narrow area between the two projections at the top of the blade, the incised lines cross each other. An accretion of reddish colored substance on the surface of the blade resembles cinnabar.

  • Provenance

    From at least 1940 to 1942
    C. T. Loo & Co., New York, from at least October 1940 [1]
    From 1942 to 1951
    Eduard von der Heydt (1882-1964), Ascona, Switzerland, purchased from C. T. Loo on August 27, 1942 and lent to the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York [2]
    1951
    US Government vested Eduard von der Heydt's property under the provisions of "Trading with the Enemy Act" by vesting order, dated August 21, 1951 [3]
    From 1964 to 1973
    National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, from March 1964 [4]
    From 1973
    Freer Gallery of Art, transferred from National Museum of Natural History in 1973 [5]
    Notes:
    [1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 86945: "Jade knife. Decayed chicken bone jade knife, symbol of power with incised designs of lines. Shang," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file.
    According to an annotation on the stockcard, the jade was acquired for Loo by Mr. Chow in October 1940.
    [2] See Loo's stockcard cited in note 1.
    The jade was sent to Buffalo Museum of Science on July 30, 1942.
    See also "Catalogue of the Von der Heydt Loan to the Buffalo Museum of Science: Loan Material from Baron Von der Heydt, as of March 1949," where the jade is documented under an inventory card no. 42136, copy in object file.
    According to the inventory card, the jade was acquired from Loo on September 14, 1942.
    [3] See Vesting Order No. 18344, August 21, 1951, Office of Alien Property, Department of Justice.
    Eduard von der Heydt exhausted all the legal remedies against the forfeiture of his property provided to him by the Trading with the Enemy Act.
    [4] Attorney General, Robert Kennedy authorized transfer of the von der Heydt collection from Buffalo Museum of Science to the custody of the Smithsonian Institution in March 1964. The collection was transferred to the National Museum of Natural History.
    In 1966 US Congress legislated transferring the title of the von der Heydt collection to the Smithsonian Institution, see Public Law 89-503, 80 Stat. 287, July 18, 1966. The jade was accessioned under no. 448078, see "Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Accession Data," copy in object file.
    [5] The jade was among 13 objects in the von der Heydt collection transferred from National Museum of Natural History to the Freer Gallery of Art, see "Smithsonian Institution Intramural Transfer of Specimens" memorandum, dated January 29, 1973, copy in object file.
    The jade was accessioned to the Freer Gallery Study Collection under no. FSC-S-8 and subsequently transferred to the permanent collection in August 1978.

  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection

  • Exhibition History

    Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
    Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)
    Chinese Art (March 9, 1981 to March 12, 1982)
    A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)
    Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  • Previous custodian or owner

    C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
    Baron Eduard von der Heydt (1882-1964)
    National Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

  • Origin

    probably Henan province, China

  • Culture

    Erlitou culture, ca. 2000-1600 BCE

  • Credit Line

    Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

  • Type

    Ceremonial Object

  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

    There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

    The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

  • 1050 Independence Ave. SW
    Washington, DC 20013
    202.633.1000

© 2024 Smithsonian Institution