A gilt-bronze 'dragon' bell, Tang dynasty, dated the 1st year of the Yonghui period, corresponding to 650 | 唐永徽元年（650年）　鎏金銅龍鈕鐘　《永徽元年四月九日》款

A gilt-bronze 'dragon' bell,

Tang dynasty, dated the 1st year of the Yonghui period, corresponding to 650

唐永徽元年（650年）　鎏金銅龍鈕鐘

《永徽元年四月九日》款

of pointed oval section, the knob cast in the form of a four-clawed dragon gazing upward towards its scaly body that curls up to form the handle of the bell, the reverse of the bell cast near the bottom edge with a rectangular cartouche enclosing the reign mark reading Yonghui yuannian siyue jiuri ('the 9th day of the 4th month of the 1st year of the Yonghui year'), Japanese wood box

37.5 cm