Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ceremonial dagger

China

Date

12th-11th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This dagger, known as a ge , has a blade on one end and the ornament of a large-beaked, crested head of a bird on the other. The details of the bird’s head are in relief. In between the bird’s head and blade is an asymmetrically placed tang through which the dagger would have been horizontally attached to a wooden pole. The bronze ge was one of the principal weapons in the late Shang dynasty. The fact that they were buried in tombs with ritual bronzes suggests that they also served a ceremonial purpose. China, Asia

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