A wide cylinder which is decorated and topped by two symmetrical creatures
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Around the base of the cylinder is a horizontal row of complicated geometric and curling designs. Above this there is a central vertical panel running down the middle with similar complex decorations, which is flanked by horizontal lines of raised bumps which alternate with panels decoration. The cylinder is topped by two symmetrical creatures with long curling bodies. They face each other and their scaled bodies curl away towards the edge of the cylinders. A slightly squared arch rises up like a handle in the middle. The surface is a mottled green and brown color.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.52.178
Title
Ritual Bell (Bo zhong) with Stylized Dragon and 'Taotie' Decor and with Handle in the Form of Confronting Dragons
Other Titles
Alternate Title: po chung
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
bell
Date
475 BCE - 221 BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 475-221 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/203992

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Cast bronze with greenish patina
Dimensions
66 x 45 x 40 cm (26 x 17 11/16 x 15 3/4 in.)
108 lb.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.52.178
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Sueji Umehara, Shina-Kodo Seikwa (Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America), Yamanaka & Co. (Osaka, Japan, 1933), part 1, vol. 3, p. 224
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 8, p. 18

Exhibition History

  • S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu