Ghanti (bell)

Ghanti (bell)

Unknown artist

Details

Medium
Brass
Dimensions
Height: 12 in. (30.5 cm) Diameter: 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
Origin
Indian
Department
Musical Instruments
Holding institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889

Art Genome Taxonomy

8 tags

Subject Matter

  • Animals Both · 99%

    The catalog lists animals and monkeys as subjects. The image shows a monkey finial and additional animal forms among the decoration on the bell body.

  • Zoomorphism Both · 91%

    Animal figures are integrated into the object’s design, most prominently in the modeled monkey finial and the animal motifs on the bell’s surface.

Visual Qualities

  • Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%

    The bell is densely ornamented with repeated geometric and beaded borders, floral motifs, animal imagery, and a detailed modeled finial.

  • Symmetrical Visual · 94%

    The object is organized around a strong central vertical axis, with a centered finial, concentric bands, and a broadly balanced bell body.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog dates the bell to the last half of the 19th century, within the catalog range of 1850–1900.

Geographic Regions

  • Indian Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog gives the place of origin as Indian.

Materials

  • Brass Both · 99%

    The catalog identifies the medium as brass, and the image shows a warm gold-brown metallic surface consistent with brass.

Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects

  • Musical Instrument Both · 99%

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art classifies the object as a Ghanti bell and an idiophone struck bell-clapper; the image clearly shows a flared bell body designed as a sound-producing instrument.

Source & rights

Unknown artist. Ghanti (bell). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.