Bell
1 of 4
Object Label
This rare cocoon-shape bell is decorated with two stylized animals, possibly tigers with long curled tails, and crosshatches on the left and right sides. Just below the vertical opening in the center of the bronze is a standing bird, perhaps an eagle, with its head turned to the right and wings outspread. Unlike niu bells used in the central plains area of China, like the large bell displayed in the opposite case, bells in the southwestern periphery of the Chinese kingdom had loops on top (from which to hang the bell), are made of thinner and lighter bronze, and have different designs.
Caption
Dian. Bell, ca. 3rd century B.C.E.. Bronze, 17 1/2 x 9 x 5 3/4 in. (44.5 x 22.9 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 2003.3.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2003.3.1_transp5892.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Culture
Title
Bell
Date
ca. 3rd century B.C.E.
Geography
Place made: Yunnan, China
Medium
Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
17 1/2 x 9 x 5 3/4 in. (44.5 x 22.9 x 14.6 cm)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number
2003.3.1
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at