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Ritual axe (parasu)
Tibeto-Chinese
Ming dynasty, Hongwu period
1368–98
Object Place: Chinese, made for a Tibetan Buddhist temple
Medium/Technique
Iron overlaid with gold and silver; four-character mark overlaid in gold
Dimensions
Height x width: 41.3 × 14.6 × 3.5 cm (16 1/4 × 5 3/4 × 1 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds from the Charles Bain Hoyt Fund and donated anonymously
Accession Number1987.93
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsRitual objects
DescriptionBuddhist ritual axe (parasu) with long handle and flaring blade. Vajras (five-pronged thunderbolts) appear at each end of the handle and behind the blade. All surfaces except most of blade inlaid in silver and gold.
Provenance1987, sold by Donald J. Wineman, New York, to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 25, 1987)