Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Bell with Design of a Human Face
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
Commonly known as “bell with goat horns,” bronze bells of this type have been found in southern and southwestern China and also in northern Vietnam. They are believed to be associated with an ethnic group, referred to in historical sources as the Yue, who were active in the region during the Han era. The bells were found together with bronze drums, another instrument closely associated with the Yue, and at times with long-handled bells, flutes, and even a gong, suggesting that they were played as an ensemble. For unknown reasons, these bells disappeared by the end of the Western Han.
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