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Adze

Chinese

Artwork Details

Adze
1027 BCE - 771 BCE
Chinese
translucent green nephrite with black striations
5 1/16 in x 3 9/16 in x 1/4 in (12.8 cm x 9 cm x 0.6 cm);1 1/4 in (3.1 cm);6 5/16 in (16 cm);4 3/4 in (12 cm)
Museum purchase from the collection of Max Loehr
1960/2.105

Description

Subject Matter:

Adz, also spelled adze, hand tool for shaping wood. One of the earliest tools, it was widely distributed in Stone Age cultures in the form of a handheld stone chipped to form a blade. By Egyptian times it had acquired a wooden haft, or handle, with a copper or bronze blade set flat at the top of the haft to form a T. In this form the adz continued to be the prime hand tool for shaping and trimming wood. A log or other piece of timber was laid on the ground or floor, and the carpenter stood astride or on it, swinging the adz in a picklike action down and toward himself.

https://www.britannica.com/technology/adz

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