Cleveland Museum of Art

Halberd Standard

Date

c. 600–221 BCE

Medium

bronze inlaid with silver

Culture

China, Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This finial, being pear-shaped in section, is known to have been the handle of a halberd. Its ornament consists of broad bands intersecting to make angles, and of delicate lines ending in whorls. The asymmetrical part through the middle is derived from a bird, its head being at the upper right, its tail at the lower left. The whole object is coated with a green and blue patina of rare beauty. The craftsman used silver inlay to create an eminently satisfying pattern of dashing straight lines and restless curves.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.