Collection record · Objects & craft
Bell (Lai Zhong)
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated c. 800–700 BCE. Recorded culture or place: China, Shaanxi province, Meixian, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–771 BCE).
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Bell (Lai Zhong)
- Date
- c. 800–700 BCE
- Culture / origin
- China, Shaanxi province, Meixian, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–771 BCE)
- Materials and technique
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Overall: 70.3 x 37 x 26.6 cm (27 11/16 x 14 9/16 x 10 1/2 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1989.3
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
In ancient China, music and ritual had political significance and were linked inseparably to the power of states. During the Zhou dynasty, bronze bells were made in sets of eight to sixty bells. This bell is the second largest from a set of eight.
This bell bears an inscription of 118 characters about its owner, Lai, and why it was cast. Lai's ancestors dutifully served the Western Zhou royal court, and he was granted a hereditary position by the "Son of Heaven" (the ruler). To express filial piety, Lai commissioned a set of bells as an offering to his father, Gongshu, in the hope that they would be forever treasured by future generations. This important inscription also provides an early example of Chinese calligraphy highlighting the purely abstract lines and construction of characters.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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