AN OPENWORK CEREMONIAL HALBERD BLADE, BRONZE, MID-EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY

China, 5^th-4^th century BC. Finely cast, the yuan (blade) with beveled edges and decorated with kuilong and scroll designs to either side of the slightly raised central ridge and extending down the socket which is pierced with three rectangular chuan (apertures), the nei (tang) decorated in low relief with hook and scroll designs and cast in openwork with stylized phoenixes.

Expert’s note: It is unlikely that the present lot originally held inlays, despite the openwork on the tang, which might suggest this possibility. Typically, inlay work was prepared using incised recesses, as seen in the gold-inlaid ge housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (see literature comparison below), or through thread relief, as exemplified by the Shang yue from the Hartman Collection (no. 56 in this sale). The absence of such incised recesses or relief work on this piece indicates that it was not intended to be inlaid, emphasizing the purity of its original design and craftsmanship.

Provenance: From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Alan Hartman has been described as the greatest antiques dealer of our generation, and was widely recognized as a world authority in Chinese jade, bronzes, and Asian works of art.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, signs of weathering and erosion, minuscule nicks, casting irregularities. The bronze is covered in a rich, naturally grown patina with bright malachite and cuprite encrustations.

Weight: 403 g
Dimensions: Length 26.5 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze Ge with openwork along the tang, 22.7 cm long, dated to the 4^th century BC, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.46.55.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 March 2019, lot 111
Estimate: USD 200,000 or approx. EUR 229,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An exceptionally rare and important archaic bronze ceremonial halberd blade, Ge, Eastern Zhou dynasty, early Spring and Autumn period.
Expert remark: Compare the related form and decorations with similar raised ridge to the blade and hook motifs to the tang. Note the inscriptions and the size (29.1 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1517
Price: USD 9,375 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large bronze halberd blade, Ge, Warring States Period
Expert remark: Compare the related form, albeit lacking the decorations on the present lot. Note the size (37 cm).