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Ritual Axe
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Ceremonial weaponry was used in tantric rituals to combat obstacles to enlightenment, such as ignorance, delusions, and selfishness. In 1407, a high-ranking Tibetan monastic patriarch visited the emperor of the Ming dynasty, known as Yongle. The Yongle emperor presented him with a number of gifts, of which this ritual axe was probably a component, since the axe bears his identifying inscription in a cartouche. Imperial Chinese workmanship is noted in the lush rendering of the lion heads from which the blades emerge, the calligraphic serpentine forms, and the cloud motifs.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineRitual Axe, c. 1407–1410. Sino-Tibetan, Derge School, Yongle period (1403-1427). Iron alloy with gold and silver inlay; overall: 40.4 cm (15 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1978.9.1
