Bell (Lai Zhong)
In ancient China, music and ritual had political significance and were linked inseparably to the power of states. During the Zhou dynasty, bronze bells were made in sets of eight to sixty bells. This bell is the second largest from a set of eight. This bell bears an inscription of 118 characters about its owner, Lai, and why it was cast. Lai's ancestors dutifully served the Western Zhou royal court, and he was granted a hereditary position by the "Son of Heaven" (the ruler). To express filial piety, Lai commissioned a set of bells as an offering to his father, Gongshu, in the hope that they...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.703 m, width 0.37 m, depth 0.266 m
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Text Both · 98%
A vertical field of Chinese characters is visible on the central front panel, and the catalog identifies a 118-character inscription.
Visual Qualities
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Patterns Visual · 95%
Repeated bosses, horizontal framing bands, and curled or scroll-like relief motifs organize the visible surface.
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Symmetrical Visual · 94%
The front elevation is organized around a strong vertical axis, with balanced bosses, relief bands, and ornament on both sides of the inscription panel.
Medium and Techniques
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East Asian Calligraphy Both · 89%
The inscription is visibly composed of Chinese characters, and the museum describes it as an early example of Chinese calligraphy.
Time Periods
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Ancient Art Metadata · 99%
The object is dated approximately 800–700 BCE, within the catalog’s ancient-art period.
Geographic Regions
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Chinese Art Metadata · 99%
The object is cataloged as Chinese art and its place of origin is China, Shaanxi province, Meixian.
Materials
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Bronze Metadata · 99%
The museum specifies bronze as the medium; the image shows an aged green-brown metal surface consistent with that identification.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Western Zhou Dynasty Metadata · 98%
The catalog identifies the object as belonging to the Western Zhou dynasty.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Musical Instrument Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies the object as a bell and describes it as part of a set of eight bronze bells used in ancient Chinese musical and ritual contexts.
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Ceremonial Object Metadata · 92%
The catalog connects the bell to ritual use and describes the set as an offering to Lai’s father, Gongshu.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Bell (Lai Zhong). Cleveland Museum of Art.