A BRONZE BELL, BO ZHONG

SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD, EARLY 5TH CENTURY BC

Details

A BRONZE BELL, BO ZHONG
SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD, EARLY 5TH CENTURY BC
Of elliptical section, each side cast with a trapezoidal panel flanked by rows of bosses cast in high relief with whorls alternating with rows of dense interlaced scrolls between rope-twist borders, all within raised borders above a large gu panel of further inlaced scrolls, the flat top flat-cast with two rows of interlaced dragons on either side of the openwork handle cast as confronted dragons joined by a shaped ring formed by an arch above their conjoined tongues, with bands of scroll pattern and granulation on their bodies, with milky olive-green patina
13 in. (33 cm.) high, wood stand

Provenance

Mathias Komor, New York, 1956.

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Lot Essay

Bells (zhong) of this type with a large loop handle formed by the addorsed bodies of dragons or birds are known as bo. They come in various sizes, as they were made in graduated sets, and with variations in their decoration.

Several bo zhong of this general type are illustrated by J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1995, pp. 372-7, no. 77 and figs. 77.1-.5. The decoration on all of the examples is similarly arranged but varies in pattern and detail.

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