Ceremonial Axe
Artist/Culture
New Guinea
Dateearly 1900s, with older stone blade
Mediumstone, wood
Dimensions59.7 × 67.3 cm (23 1/2 × 26 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe Helen Slosberg Collection of Oceanic Art in Memory of Her Brother Israel Sagoff
Terms
Object number2004.159
DescriptionSome spattered staining, otherwise good condition.Label TextThis axe, featuring an ancient stone head set in a more recent woven holder, was an item of status and ceremony rather than of warfare.ProvenanceHelen S. Slosberg, Boston, MA; given to the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 1961 (cat. no. 1961.23); transferred to the Worcester Art Museum, 2003, accessioned 2004.On View
Not on view
late 1800s, head probably pre-1500
Chinese
end of the 1800s–early 1900s