Bell (Chunyu)

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 684

Bronze bells with this peculiar shape, known as chunyu, originated in regions along the Yangzi River from Sichuan to Zhejiang, and extending as far as south as Guangxi. They range in date across the entire Eastern Zhou era and into the early Han dynasty. Their exact function is still being investigated; many speculate that they were used for sending military signals rather than for playing music.

Bell (Chunyu), Bronze, China

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