Bronze <i>yue</i> (Axe) with tiger design- Hunan Museum
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Bronze yue (Axe) with tiger design
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Date:Shang Dynasty (ca.1600-1050 BCE)
Medium:Bronze

Dimensions: Length:34.3cm; Width:23cm

Origin: Collected in 1973

This Bronze yue (refers to an ancient battle-ax) is a kind of weapon, which comprises an expanded cutting edge, an elliptical and hollow Qiong (the hole on axe for installing a handle) decorated with Loong (a magical animal in Chinese myth) patterns inside, distorted animal face patterns in the center of the yue’s body and a relief of tiger, with its feet on the body, its body standing on the Qiong, mouth opening and tail raising, decorated on the back of the Qiong.

Loong is a holy animal and tiger shows lofty dignity; therefore, the yue, integrating these two images into a whole, is of solemnity and mystery. With design style and patterns of the yue being rarely seen from the weapons of Shang Dynasty, this yue is a ritual object and torture instrument.

Yue is the symbol of kingship and the dignity of state's laws, which is the reason why the later potentates carried yues even during their inspection tours. So are the records of archaeological materials: all large-scaled Bronze yue of Shang Dynasty were unearthed from the tombs of the high-class to show the power of military commanders and the severeness of penalties.


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