China
Chinese

Bronze
Mid 20th century
Height: 7.75 in; Width: 7 in; Depth: 6 in
Idiophones – Struck Directly – Bells

The reign of Duke Wu of Qin was from 697 to 678 B.C.E.  He was the tenth ruler of the Zhou Dynasty state of Qin that eventually united China to become the Qin Dynasty. His ancestral name was Ying and Duke Wu was his posthumous title. Ritual vessels, musical instruments like the yong bells and bo-bells with long inscriptions mentioning Duke Wu of the Qin State have been unearthed from Taigongmiao Village, Baoji Coounty, Shaanxi Province.  This possibly is a reproduced of the style of the Duke Wu of Qin bo-bell modeled after what was uncovered at this archaeological excavation site. The crown and protruding ridges decorated with dragon designs in openwork are important features of the bo-bells of the Qin Style as seen here.  Both front and side projections extend about 0.75 inches from the body of the bell. The bottom section of the bell tapers in slightly and is plain.