The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 9, 2026

A bronze bell with a barrel-shaped body features a flat top topped with a handle of two mirrored, stylized creatures. A dark-brown bronze with mottled green and blue oxidation, the surface is divided by raised bands. On the front, eighteen rounded knobs project in groups of nine flanking a central vertical panel. Intricate, interlocking scrollwork patterns the handle and the bell's wide lower band.

Bell (Bo Zhong)

early 400s BCE

China, Eastern Zhou dynasty

(770–256 BCE)
bronze
Overall: 41.4 cm (16 5/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1962.44
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The bell could produce two notes depending on where it is struck.

Description

Music in the Eastern Zhou dynasty not only served ritual purposes but also provided entertainment in feudal courts. The elliptical cross-section of the Chinese bronze bell is unique; it could produce two notes depending on where the bell is struck, either at the rim or near the center. The bell is suspended when played and often belongs to a graduated set arranged according to pitch and size. This bell displays elaborate ornamentation and exquisite workmanship. A twin-bodied serpent intertwined with two tigers forms the suspension loop at the top. Coiled serpents form the knobs on the body. The lower part bears an animal mask, its horns interlaced with abstract bird designs.
  • Venice, and Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente. Mostra d’Arte Cinese. Catalogo = Exhibition of Chinese Art. Catalogue. Venezia: Alfieri, 1954. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 75, p. 37
    Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1962.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 49, no. 9 (November 1962): 199–227. Mentioned: p. 224, no. 60; Reproduced: p. 214; no. 60 www.jstor.org
    “Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums.” Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America 17 (1963): 43–65. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 45, fig. 8 www.jstor.org
    Ho, Wai-Kam. “Shang and Chou Bronzes.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 51, no. 7 (September 1964): 175–187. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 184–185, figs. 8, 9 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 246 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 246 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 326 archive.org
    Hayashi, Minao 林巳奈夫. "Jūkan hoshu no jakkan o megutte" = 獣鐶・鋪首の若干をめぐって [On some zoomorphic rings or pushou]. Tōhō gakuhō 東方學報, No. 57 (1985), pp. 1–74. Reproduced: p. 7, no. 15
    Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 8 (October 1990): 286–323. Reproduced: p. 292 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 7 archive.org
  • Asian Autumn: New Objects/New Insights: Cleveland's Recent Chinese Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 18-December 31, 1994).
    Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
    Chinese Art. Venice, Italy (1954). no. 75
  • {{cite web|title=Bell (Bo Zhong)|url=false|author=|year=early 400s BCE|access-date=09 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.44