A BRONZE BELL, YONGZHONG

WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY (1100-771 BC)

Details

A BRONZE BELL, YONGZHONG
WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY (1100-771 BC)
The bell is cast to either side with three rows of protruding bosses, divided by rope-twist lines. There is a later-added inscription to one side, opposite a single animal-form graph. The bronze has a dark greyish-black patina with malachite and pale russet-coloured encrustations.
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Sotheby's London, 10 December 1979, lot 201.
The Michael Michaels Collection of Early Chinese Art.

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Lot Essay

Bells of this type were made in graduated sizes to form a set or instrumental 'chime'. Each bell was capable of emitting two different tones, dependent on the exact location struck. R. Bagley explains "sets of bells were both aurally and visually the most prominent instruments of musical ensembles" in ancient China, but outside of China were unknown, (Music in the Age of Confucius, J. So (ed.), Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC, 2000, pp.35-63.)

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