COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
ASIA.1993.004
amicoid
ASIA.1993.004
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1999
aly
1999
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
oty
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
crc
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Name-CRT:
Chinese
crt
Chinese
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Spearhead
otn
Spearhead
Title
false
View:
Full view
rid
Full view
View
false
Creation Date:
Shang period, 13th-11th century BCE
oct
Shang period, 13th-11th century BCE
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
0
ocs
0
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
0
oce
0
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze
omd
Bronze
Materials and Techniques
false
Classification Term:
Spearheads
clt
Spearheads
Classification Term
false
Classification Term:
Bronzes
clt
Bronzes
Classification Term
false
Creation Place:
North China
ocp
North China
Creation Place
false
Dimensions:
H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); W. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
met
H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); W. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
Asia Society
oon
Asia Society
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
New York, New York, USA
oop
New York, New York, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1993.004
ooa
1993.004
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Asia Society: Estate of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller
ooc
Asia Society: Estate of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.asiasociety.org"target="_new">http://www.asiasociety.org</a>
Rights
false
Context:
The description of the Shang and Zhou periods in Chinese history as a Great Bronze Age stems from both the astonishing variety of shapes and motifs found in their ritual vessels and the sheer technical complexity involved in producing them. The use of bronze is one of the hallmarks of the culture that controlled a large part of northern China during the Shang period, c. 1700-c. 1050 BCE. Anyang, the capital city of the late Shang period (c. 1300-1050 BCE), was located in Henan Province in north-central China. The excavation of this site over the last 66 years has revealed large palace buildings, bronze-casting and other workshops, important burials, and numerous spectacular bronze vessels. In addition to ritual vessels, bronze was used to make weapons such as axes, halberds, spearheads, and arrowheads.
The extremely narrow point of this spearhead and the articulation where the shaft joins the head is typical of pieces made during the Shang dynasty. Spearheads dating to later periods are generally broader. The decoration of this spearhead is cast along the top and bottom of the shaft. There are two registers of decoration: at the top of the shaft loose thundercloud motifs (leiwen) are cast in low relief, while at the bottom, granulation provides the background for the decoration. The curving forms cast in high relief against these two backgrounds might be dragons but are too abstract to identify precisely.
cxd
The description of the Shang and Zhou periods in Chinese history as a Great Bronze Age stems from both the astonishing variety of shapes and motifs found in their ritual vessels and the sheer technical complexity involved in producing them. The use of bronze is one of the hallmarks of the culture that controlled a large part of northern China during the Shang period, c. 1700-c. 1050 BCE. Anyang, the capital city of the late Shang period (c. 1300-1050 BCE), was located in Henan Province in north-central China. The excavation of this site over the last 66 years has revealed large palace buildings, bronze-casting and other workshops, important burials, and numerous spectacular bronze vessels. In addition to ritual vessels, bronze was used to make weapons such as axes, halberds, spearheads, and arrowheads.<P>The extremely narrow point of this spearhead and the articulation where the shaft joins the head is typical of pieces made during the Shang dynasty. Spearheads dating to later periods are generally broader. The decoration of this spearhead is cast along the top and bottom of the shaft. There are two registers of decoration: at the top of the shaft loose thundercloud motifs (<I>leiwen</I>) are cast in low relief, while at the bottom, granulation provides the background for the decoration. The curving forms cast in high relief against these two backgrounds might be dragons but are too abstract to identify precisely.</P>
Context
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
ASIA.1993.004.a.tif
ril
ASIA.1993.004.a.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false