H x W x D (overall): 11.5 × 15.1 × 1.5 cm (4 1/2 × 5 15/16 × 9/16 in)
Diam: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in)
Culture:
Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE Search this
Type:
Ceremonial Object
Origin:
probably Hangzhou, Lake Tai region, China
Date:
ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE
Period:
Late Neolithic period
Description:
Ceremonial axe with evenly rounded cutting edge, tapering slightly toward the blunt and almost straight butt; large biconical hole drilled slightly off-center toward the butt; purplish gray stone with darker purple mottlings. (One corner broken, chipped cutting edge).
Provenance:
?-1997
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), method of acquisition unknown [1]
1997-1999
In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon death of Paul Singer and establishment of a loan agreement [2]
From 1999
The National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, by gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [3]
Notes:
[1] The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Dr. Paul Singer over time was purchased by him on behalf of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, Jillian Sackler, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities and later was transferred to the children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.
[2] The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art came into the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997. See loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, February 1997, copy in collection accession files. In March 2023, the museum's legal name changed to National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.
[3] The entirety of the Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art formally accessioned in 2012. See the Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art gift agreement, March 1999, copy in collection accession files. The work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Search this
Credit Line:
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler
