Lot 353. A bronze dagger, ge, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC; 12 in. (30.4 cm.) long. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. Price Realized USD 5,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008
The hilt cast as a stylized bird in profile, with clawed foot, upturned tail, hooked beak and crest ending in an animal head, the blade with median ridge extending the entire length, with greenish-grey patina and patches of malachite, cuprite and azurite encrustation.
Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. McPherson.
Note: Compare the very similar bronze ge excavated in 1975 from tomb no. 613 in Xiaomin Tun, Anyang, Henan province, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji - Shang, vol. 3, no. 3, Beijing, 1997, p. 204, no. 203.
Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2008, New York, Rockefeller Plaza
