11 January 2011

Battle axe

From the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 B.C.), excavated at Yidu, Shangdong Province, via The Ancient World.  A different axe, from the same era, and also incorporating a human face, is here.  Commentary I've seen suggets that these were more symbolic or ceremonial than functional. 

While quickly searching this subject, I found an even more interesting item (source):
The National Gallery of Art says "In 1989 archaeologists digging at Dayangzhou south of the Yangzi unearthed a tomb filled with intricately patterned bronzes in imaginative shapes as well as a double-sided human mask without precedent in Shang centers in the north."

I'm puzzled at how a "double-sided" object would function as a "mask," but what really intrigued me was the resemblance of this 2000+- year-old object to a more familiar face:

4 comments:

  1. Before I even scrolled down for the final photo, I thought "Wallace!"

    Yep. CHEEEEZE!

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  2. I believe this calls for a "CAN'T UNSEE!!!"

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  3. That is a pretty awesome piece of art, and yup I see the resemblance between Wallace, though the little twriling pieces on top remind me of Gromit's ears.

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  4. Yes, it's quite like a mashup of the two. Rather remarkable.

    ReplyDelete

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