Description:

Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Dong Son Culture, ca. late 1st millennium BCE. A cast bronze pole ax (ge) with a narrow, flat blade and a highly decorated tang. The stylized anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures that decorate the tang and the upper portion of the blade are a hallmark of this time period, when southeast Asian art was highly abstract. These figures are known as "snake head people", probably representing a transformative deity or mythological figure. A rectangular slot in the lower part of the tang allowed it to be attached to a wooden pole. Size: 10.875" L x 3.5" W (27.6 cm x 8.9 cm)

By this time period, iron and steel had replaced bronze as the material for making true weapons. Bronze weaponry was made for the grave, to signify the wealth and fighting prowess of the dead.

Provenance: private J. Connell collection, Massachusetts, USA; ex Piscopo collection

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#127391

  • Condition: Small areas of corrosion on lower part of blade. Encrusted patina on blade surface, especially on one side, from exposure to textile. Nicely preserved motifs.

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October 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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