About this artwork
Several types of chime bells were cast toward the end of China’s Bronze Age and were probably played together in concert. Smallest among these were niuzhong, which had concave rims. Niuzhong were cast in graduated sizes, assembled as a set (often of nine), and suspended from a horizontal beam in order of size. Each bell was designed to emit two distinct tones: one from striking the center of the lower panel, another from striking either corner. The mask centered on the striking panel of this bell is an abstraction of ferocious monster designs seen on earlier bronze vessels.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 132
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Department
- Arts of Asia
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Title
- Loop Suspension Bell (Niuzhong)
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Place
- China (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 799 BCE–500 BCE
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Medium
- Bronze
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Dimensions
- 34.8 × 19.9 cm (13 3/4 × 7 13/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Samuel M. Nickerson Endowment
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Reference Number
- 1923.1113
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/9611/manifest.json