The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Halberd Standard

c. 600–221 BCE

China, Zhou dynasty

(c. 1046–256 BCE)
bronze inlaid with silver
Overall: 10 cm (3 15/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1942.1085
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The craftsman used silver inlay to create an eminently satisfying pattern of dashing straight lines and restless curves.

Description

This finial, being pear-shaped in section, is known to have been the handle of a halberd. Its ornament consists of broad bands intersecting to make angles, and of delicate lines ending in whorls. The asymmetrical part through the middle is
derived from a bird, its head being at the upper right, its tail at the lower left. The whole object is coated with a green and blue patina of rare beauty.
  • ?–1942
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1942–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard. "Three Chinese Staff Ends." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 31, no. 1 (January 1944): 16–17. Mentioned: pp. 16–17; Reproduced: p. 19 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Halberd Standard|url=false|author=|year=c. 600–221 BCE|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.1085