Object Details
- Description
- Bell of the type chung [chn] decorated with casting in relief. Finial of two winged dragons. Pale green patination with granular incrustations. The type of bell is a "bo zhong."
- Label
- The elaborate décor of this bell--winged creatures form its suspension loop and coiled serpents serve as bosses (raised decorations)--underscores the exalted status of bronze bells, which were a luxury restricted to China's early rulers and elite. Most bells belonged to tuned sets of bell-chimes, an instrument invented in China. They were suspended from a rack and struck by a mallet. When this object was cast, bell music was no longer purely ritual in purpose but was also considered entertainment in feudal courts. Owning a set of bells was thought to bring great happiness to a family.
- Provenance
- From 1939 to 1941
- C. T. Loo & Company, New York from at least March 1939 [1]
- From 1941
- Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on September 29, 1941 [2]
- Notes:
- [1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 81926a: "Bell (chung) Bottom decorated by a panel of turning dragons pattern. Large bosses formed by coiled snakes separated by registers of intertwined dragons motives. Handle formed by 2 birds, swallowing the tail with spreaded wings over an intertwined snakes pattern. Rough green patina. Late Chou," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file. The object was sent to the Freer Gallery for examination on May 2, 1939.
- [2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated September 29, 1941, copy in object file.
- Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Resound: Ancient Bells of China (October 14, 2017 - July 5, 2021)
- Virtue and Entertainment: Chinese Music in the Visual Arts (October 1, 2005 to May 29, 2006)
- Music in the Age of Confucius (April 30 to September 17, 2000)
- Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
- Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)
- Untitled Exhibition, South Corridor (March 6, 1981 to May 7, 1984)
- Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
- Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
- Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1955 (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)
- Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1946 (May 7, 1946 to February 25, 1956)
- Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1944 (November 15, 1944 to May 6, 1946)
- Previous custodian or owner
- C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
- Credit Line
- Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
- ca. 500--450 BCE
- Period
- Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Spring and Autumn period
- Accession Number
- F1941.9
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Musical Instrument
- Medium
- Bronze
- Dimensions
- H x W: 66.4 x 47 cm (26 1/8 x 18 1/2 in)
- Weight: 62 kg (136.7 lb)
- Origin
- Houma foundry, Shanxi province, China
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- casting
- metal
- bronze
- bird
- dragon
- Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE)
- Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BCE)
- China
- Chinese Art
- Record ID
- fsg_F1941.9
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye36bcc537a-88bb-4b5f-91ea-5bf661f6ea06
