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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.17.A-B
Title
Dagger Blade
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Work Type
dagger
Date
8th-2nd century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Period
Geometric period to Classical
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303656

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Copper alloy
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
12 cm (4 3/4 in.)
Technical Details

Technical Observations: The patina is very heavily corroded with a cracked and splitting surface, exposing layers of green and red corrosion. The object is completely mineralized, as can be seen in the cross section, leaving the knife blade with little or no metal preserved and therefore quite brittle. The tang is broken off and missing. The blade was probably made by casting and hot working. Two rivets used for attachment to a handle are preserved in the corrosion products.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1920.

Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton
Accession Year
1920
Object Number
1920.44.17.A-B
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This heavily corroded blade is broken into two pieces, the smaller comprising the tip and part of the blade and the larger comprising the rest of the blade and part of the tang. Longitudinal and lateral cracks in the metal run the length of the object. With a semi-rectangular tang on one end, which appears to have been broken, the knife tapers gently into a broad rounded tip at the opposite end. The holes for two rivets are apparent at the shoulder of the blade near the tang, most likely for securing a handle made from another material.

David Smart

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu