Artwork Page for Bronze Ritual Bell

Details / Information for Bronze Ritual Bell

Bronze Ritual Bell

청동 범종 (靑銅梵鐘)

1226

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)
Medium
cast bronze with incised inscription
Measurements
Diameter: 14 cm (5 1/2 in.); Overall: 22.6 cm (8 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1992.118
Public Domain
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Location
236 Korean
Print
?

Did You Know?

The inscription informs us that this miniature indoor bell was produced in 1226.

Description

This miniature bell was once used as part of Buddhist indoor rituals. Likely suspended in a Buddhist temple, it features a cast dragon and a vertical tube to amplify the sound on top, and is decorated with Buddhist figures seated on lotuses. The echoing sound of the bell was thought to help Buddhist believers understand the significance of transience and impermanence; the sound instantly fades away as soon as one hears it. This sensory experience creates a striking conceptual parallel with Buddhist teachings, including the idea that all things and beings exist merely in our perception or imagination. An inscription indicates it was cast in the year of the dragon and took three years to make.
Cylindrical, cast bronze bell curving in slightly at the top around which runs a spiked rim like flower petals. An abstracted dragon writhes on top, mouth open, with a cylindrical tube behind. Below the petals runs a band of squared spirals from which two squares extend down, spirals in their borders and three rows of three flowers inside. Below protrudes a circle with more shapes inside. Along the lower rim runs a band like flowers in diamond shapes. The bell has corroded green with flecks of gold.

Bronze Ritual Bell

1226

Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)

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