Halberd Standard
Unknown Artist
c. 600–221 BCE
Medium
bronze inlaid with silver
Dimensions
h. 10 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1942.1085
About this artwork
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.