China
Chinese

Bronze
1901 C.E. – Qing Dynasty
Height: 27.75 in; Diameter: 13.5 in
Idiophones – Struck Directly – Bells

This is a large Qing Dynasty bronze bell (zhong/chime) with a gently flaring rim (koma no tsume) to a domed crown (kasagata) which is surmounted by a separately cast twin dragon loop handle (ryuzu).  It is roughly cylindrical in shape, flaring only slightly near the bottom before the rim.  The handle of the bell also contains horseshoe-shaped carvings to imitate scales as well as raised triangular areas along the median emulating spines running the course of the dragon’s back. Four circular lotus panels used for striking the bell are positioned equidistant from each other around the circumference of the lower half. Such bells were not intended to have striking hammers on the inside as court officials or religious patrons would often strike the bell with padded mallets themselves. The outer surface is decorated with Chinese characters in four main sections divided by raised lines, and is a greenish color from oxidation over much of the surface.  This particular bell was cast in January, 1901 in the city of Xi Ning in the Qing Hai province, based on translation of the engraved characters.  

Bells with clappers inside are called ling, while clapperless bells are known as zhong.  Temple bells usually assume the form of chimes in China.