This axe-blade object is a weapon known as a "yue". One side forms the blade in the shape of an arc, while the other is where a long handle would have been fastened to make it convenient for use in battle. This form, very similar to that of an axe, is mainly from the late Shang to the early Zhou dynasty.

 

The person in battle who could use such a weapon was generally a very high-ranking military commander charged with royal authority. As a result, it was not just a battle weapon, but also a symbol of the high status of the owner. This is shown even more so by the beautiful turquoise inlaid into the "yue" axe, further adding to the precious nature and beauty of the object while also indicating it was not actually used on the battlefield. Rather, it was probably used in ritual ceremonies to demonstrate the owner’s high rank. 

 

In addition to the turquoise, this object is also decorated with one of the most commonly seen decorative motifs of the Shang and Zhou dynasties--the animal mask design. This abstracted form of decoration probably represents a mythological beast derived from the imagination of the ancients, perhaps used as a kind of medium in religious rites between them and the gods and ancestors. It may have also been a kind of protective deity for precious bronze ritual objects, serving the purpose of averting evil influences. Craftsmen at the time apparently spared no effort to overcome the technical difficulties in this art form, casting this form of decoration in great numbers on bronze objects. Not only does this reveal a reverent attitude towards the spirit world, but also the importance with which they attached to ritual ceremonies.