Handbell with Vajra Finial and Deity's Head

Medium: Bronze

Geograhical Locations:

• Java, Indonesia

Dates:15th century

Dimensions: height: 6 in. (15.2 cm)

Collections:

• Asian Art

Accession Number: 2021.1.66

Catalogue Description:
Hand bell with a domed body, thick handle, topped with a five-pronged vajra, the face of a deity superimposed on the handle shaft. Eastern Javanese bells came in many forms, but this one is unusual. The deity may be the Hindu god Shiva, who appear together with vajras in Eastern Javanese art, or an esoteric Buddhist deity.

Brooklyn Museum