Ancient Near East / Western Asia, Anatolia, ca. 1000 BCE. A beautiful lost wax cast bronze axe head with an elegant, downwardly curving blade, a wide, round socket, and an elongated, flat butt. Cast around the outer edges of the socket is 75% gold (equivalent to 18K) in a dramatic vertical striated motif, each side with a raised dot of gold at its exact center. This weapon was made to be a display of power, rather than used when fighting, and as a result was probably buried with an elite member of society. Size: 6.15" W x 2" H (15.6 cm x 5.1 cm); 4.25" H (10.8 cm) on included custom stand; gold is 75%, equivalent to 18K
Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 20.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, collected in the 1970s; exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 20;
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#146255
Condition
Excellent preservation of form, with fine, deep green patina on the bronze and light deposits on the gold.