AN IMPERIAL GILT-BRONZE ARCHAISTIC TEMPLE BELL, BIANZHONG MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI, DATED TO THE 54TH YEAR (1715)

the large bell finely cast, suspended from a double-headed dragon handle, each beast powerfully cast with eyes bulging and nostrils flaring above long curling whiskers, the mouth clenched open to reveal its tongue thrust between sharp fangs, with a pair of straight horns extending back over its head along a combed mane with fine details, the two scaly bodies intertwined and crouching in ambush, the large barrel-shaped body with four panels of alternating bosses and trigrams, divided by two rectangular panels, one inscribed with the characters Kangxi wushisi nian zhi ('Made in the 54th year of Kangxi') corresponding to 1715, and the other with huangzhong, denoting its musical pitch (1st tone)

During the Qing dynasty bianzhong were produced for the court and they became an essential component of Confucian ritual ceremonies at the Imperial altars, formal banquets and processions. The music produced by these instruments was believed to facilitate communication between humans and deities. Gilt-bronze bells of this type were assembled in sets of sixteen and produced twelve musical tones, with four tones repeated in a higher or lower octave. Of equal size but varying thicknesses, these bells were attached to tall wooden frames in two rows of eight, as depicted by Guiseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) in his painting Imperial Banquet in Wanshu Garden (c.1755), included in the exhibition Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, cat. no. 101.

Four sets of bells of this form appear to have been created during Kangxi's reign; the first two sets in the 52nd year (1713) and the second two sets in the 54th year (1715), and are believed to have been made for the Temple of Agriculture in Beijing. Several bells from the latter sets have been offered at auction; one of yingzhong tone was sold in these rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1858; a pair, of yingzhong and ruibin tones, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 1942; and two sets of five bells, formerly in the Audrey B. Love collection, were sold at Christie's New York, 20th October 2004, lots 455 and 456. Two further bells have been sold at auction; a taicu bell (third tone) was sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 1997, lot 25; and a wushe bell (fifth tone) was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 1999, lot 520.

For bells from the set dated to 1713, see one sold in our New York rooms, 24th April 1975, lot 240; and two sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1327, and the other, 17th May 1979, lot 454.