A rare gilt-bronze bell, Ming dynasty, 16th century | 明十六世紀 鎏金銅交龍鈕鐘

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 14th November 1990, lot 420.

香港蘇富比1990年11月14日，編號420

Sets of musical bells were used in China since antiquity as part of court rituals. Following the introduction of Buddhism, bronze bells also played a vital role in Buddhist temple rituals. Serving multiple purposes, they also became platforms for dedications, rung on significant days, used to announce events, and their melodious tones were believed to bridge communication with the spirit world.

Cast in a similar form with dragon handle and lotus petals around the shoulder, bells were decorated in various motifs on the body. A related example, decorated with archaistic motifs and dated by inscription to the twelfth year of Hongzhi, corresponding to 1499, is illustrated in Sheila Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities. 600 – 1650, London, 1979, pl. 124.