Nao with Animal-mask Motif (Bronze nao bell with animal-mask motif)

Preserved in good condition. One end of the yong is broken. Made of bronze, with dark brown colour on the surface. The body of the bell is shaped like a combined pair of tiles. The underside (wu) is flat and the two xian points are straight. The body of the instrument is flat and wide. A tubular rod named yong (handle) on the base, which is thick and short, hollow in the middle and is connected to the inside of the body. The yong bears a raised collar called xuan. The mouth (yu) is only slightly curved and almost flat. It has inner lips. The body is mainly decorated with animal-mask motifs made up of thick lines, which are covered with cloud patterns. This design is similar to one of the large nao bells with elephant patterns (No.8), but smaller in size. This is a transitional period in history when the main designs on nao bells evolved from animal-mask motifs to cloud patterns. This bell only has cloud patterns on the xuan of the yong, without simplified animal-mask motifs or C-shaped patterns that are commonly seen on other nao bells.