Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The head of an owl with large eyes and ears, sitting above the blade of a halberd-axe, may have deterred evil and harm from its carrier. Whether such an axe was used in ritual or warfare is not clear.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
120823
label
Axe
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
120823
contentType
object
title
Axe
description
The head of an owl with large eyes and ears, sitting above the blade of a halberd-axe, may have deterred evil and harm from its carrier. Whether such an axe was used in ritual or warfare is not clear.
date
1766–1045 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80016465
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 23.8 cm (9 3/8 in.)
cul
China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE)
accession
1941.549
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Axe, 1766–1045 BCE. China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE). Bronze; overall: 23.8 cm (9 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund, 1941.549
collection
China - Shang Dynasty
didYouKnow
A staff or pike would have attached to the blade via the socket below the owl's head.
citations
citation
Ackerman, Phyllis. <em>Ritual Bronzes of Ancient China</em>. New York: The Dryden Press, 1945.
page_number
Reproduced: pl. 62
citation
Prodan, Mario. <em>Chinese Art: An Introduction</em>. London: Hutchinson, 1958.
page_number
Reproduced: pl. 6
citation
Von Spee, Clarissa. "Art In New Dimensions: Chinese Miniature and Small Objects at the Cleveland Museum of Art." <em>Arts of Asia </em>52, no. 4 (Winter 2022): 117-121.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 118-119, fig. 4
citation
von Spee, Clarissa. “China through the Magnifying Glass: Miniature and small objects in detail.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>vol. 62, no. 4 (December 2022): 14-16.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 14.
creditline
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:13:51.663000
sourceId
120823
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Shang Dynasty
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
a7dc06becf78f027