Handbell

ca. 1850

Not on view

This bell is adorned with a decorated crown in deep relief. The scene depicts military and clerical emblems sitting atop a crenelated rampart that is crushing nine male and female figures. This remarkable depiction may symbolize the oppression of the masses by the military and the church. The bell is purported to have been a gift from Napoleon III to the president of Peru, Ramón Castilla, in commemoration of the emancipation of the Peruvian slaves in December of 1854.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Title: Handbell
Date: ca. 1850
Geography: France
Culture: French
Medium: Bronze, iron, wood
Dimensions: 14cm x 14cm x 34cm

Weight: under 40 lbs
Classification: Idiophone-Struck-bell-clapper
Credit Line: Gift of Julio Ornano Verlarde, 1989
Object Number: 1989.215
Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French — Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century

Handbell, Bronze, wood, iron, Italian — Handbell
Italian
19th century (?)

Osage Warrior, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin French, Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, American — Osage Warrior
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1805–7

Handbell, Bronze, European — Handbell
European
late 19th century

The Connoisseur, Honoré Daumier French, Pen and ink, wash, watercolor, lithographic crayon, and gouache over black chalk on wove paper — The Connoisseur
Honoré Daumier
ca. 1860–65

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.