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Adze

Chinese

Artwork Details

Adze
1027 BCE - 771 BCE
Chinese
gray stone with black striations
10 5/8 in x 3 in x 1/2 in (27 cm x 7.7 cm x 1.2 cm);12 5/8 in (32 cm);1 3/4 in (4.5 cm);5 1/8 in (13 cm)
Museum purchase from the collection of Max Loehr
1960/2.122

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

Physical Description:

The flat part of an adze that is gray stone with black striations.

Usage Rights:

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