The Yayishanzhai Collection
雅宜山齋藏珍
(Lots 1001 - 1070)
雅宜山齋藏珍
(Lots 1001 - 1070)
Lot 1035
A BRONZE 'DRAGON' DAGGER Shang Dynasty
Ending from 20 November 2025, 14:00 HKT
Online, Hong KongHK$10,000 - HK$20,000
Ask about this lot
Amethyst Chau
Senior Specialist
Tracy Hui
Associate Specialist / Senior Sale Coordinator
A BRONZE 'DRAGON' DAGGER
Shang Dynasty
Fitted box.
Overall 28.5 cm long (2).
Fitted box.
Overall 28.5 cm long (2).
Footnotes
商 銅質夔龍曲內戈
The present lot is a typical bronze weapon from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Chinese term qu nei ge (curved-blade halberd) refers to the distinctive curved transition between the blade (the cutting edge) and the inner shaft (the part inserted into the handle). This design was common from the middle to late Shang dynasty through the early Western Zhou period, serving both practical and ceremonial functions.
The shaft is cast with stylized, linear kuilong motifs. According to classical texts like the Classic of Mountains and Seas, kuilong was revered as a thunder deity or a messenger bridging heaven and earth. The application of this decoration endows the halberd with religious connotations of divine communication and exorcism. Such bronze halberds typically served as ceremonial or ritual implements rather than combat weapons, their use signifying the bearer's military authority. Bronze halberds from the Shang and Zhou periods frequently appear as burial goods in tombs, vividly reflecting the traditional concept that 'the great affairs of the state lie in ritual and warfare'.
此件曲內戈為典型的商周時期青銅兵器。所謂曲內戈，是指戈的援（刃部）與內（插入柄部的部分）交接處呈現弧形彎曲的特徵，此類形制在商代中晚期至西周早期較為常見，兼具實用功能與禮儀屬性。
該戈柄部鑄有線條式變形夔龍紋，據《山海經》等典籍記載，夔龍被視作雷神或溝通天地的使者，該紋飾的運用賦予此戈以通神辟邪的宗教內涵。此類青銅戈多屬禮儀器仗或祭祀用具，而非實戰兵器，其使用彰顯持有者的軍事權威。商周時期青銅戈常見於墓葬隨葬品，這一現象生動體現了「國之大事，在祀與戎」的傳統理念。