Ritual Sceptre (zhang)
Location
Era
Shang (about 1600-1050 B.C.E.) or Western Zhou dynasty (about 1050-771 B.C.E.)
Title
Ritual Sceptre (zhang)
Date
About 1200-1000 B.C.E.
Materials
Marbled blue-grey jade
Dimensions
29.2 x 7.1 cm
Credits
Purchase, Moodie Fund, inv. 1919.Ed.7
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures
Jade sceptres and daggers in forms derived from earlier lithic and later bronze weapons became symbols of authority during the Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods. The valuable material and fine workmanship became signifiers of power, expressing in society their owners’ privileged access to resources and skilled artists. These objects were made to be displayed to audiences – including the spirits – and thus reinforce the transcendental influence of those who possessed and flaunted them.
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