Bell (Bo Zhong) (early 400s BCE): Art, History and Details

Bell (Bo Zhong) (early 400s BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Music in the Eastern Zhou dynasty not only served ritual purposes but also provided entertainment in feudal courts. The elliptical cross-section of the Chinese bronze bell is unique; it could produce two notes depending on where the bell is struck, either at the rim or near the center. The bell is suspended when played and often belongs to a graduated set arranged according to pitch and size. This bell displays elaborate ornamentation and exquisite workmanship. A twin-bodied serpent intertwined with two tigers forms the suspension loop at the top. Coiled serpents form the knobs on the body. The lower part bears an animal mask, its horns interlaced with abstract bird designs.

Object facts

• Title: Bell (Bo Zhong)
• Date: early 400s BCE
• Culture: China, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE)
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 41.4 cm (16 5/16 in.)
• Collection: China - Zhou Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1962.44

A detail from the museum

The bell could produce two notes depending on where it is struck.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Venice, and Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente. Mostra d’Arte Cinese. Catalogo = Exhibition of Chinese Art. Catalogue. Venezia: Alfieri, 1954.
• Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1962.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 49, no. 9 (November 1962): 199–227.
• “Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums.” Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America 17 (1963): 43–65.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.