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Double Bell with Crest (Kunda)

19th century, inventoried 1897

Not on view

This hourglass double bell takes the form of a ritual instrument sounded by Kongo priests to invoke spirits. Such an elaborately decorated example was likely a presentation piece that was never used. The imagery carved in relief across its surface is drawn from European heraldry. One end features a climbing plant motif and the other a crest motif featuring a crucifix. The decorative band that wraps around the perimeter is a continuous band of cowrie shells.

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

Double Bell with Crest (Kunda), Wood, Kongo peoples

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This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Double Bell with Crest (Kunda)

Date: 19th century, inventoried 1897

Geography: Cabinda, Angola

Culture: Kongo peoples

Medium: Wood

Dimensions: H. 2 1/2 in. (6.5 cm), W. 3 1/2 in. (9 cm), D. 10 3/8 in. (26.5 cm)

Classification: Wood-Musical Instruments

Credit Line: Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.