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Shifu Zhong (Bronze bell with inscriptions)

Well preserved. Some studs may be broken or missing. The surface of the zhong is of greyish-brown colour with a little bit of green patina. This instrument was excavated a long time ago. The handle (yong) is rectangle shaped with rounded corners and has a narrow collar (xuan). The xuan has a square ring (xuanchong) attached to it. The inside of the yong is sealed and is not connected to the inside of the body. The body of the bell is shaped like a combined pair of tiles. There are tuning grooves on the inside of the body: two on each xuan point and three on each side of the middle of the body. The upper part of the yong is decorated with ring stripe patterns. The xuan has four studs and multiple-ring patterns. The wu is decorated with thick-lined cloud patterns and the areas (zhuan) between the studs are decorated with double-headed animal designs featuring wave patterns. The cylindrical studs have flat ends. The centre of the gu has a double phoenix design and the left side of the gu has an additional bird design. There are inscriptions cast on the central panel (zheng) and the left side of the gu. A total of 53 characters are legible.

  • Measurements:Total height: 48.8cm, horizontal diameter of the wu: 23.9cm, distance between the two xian points: 28.2cm, thickness of the middle of the gu: 1.1cm, total length: 16.5cm, vertical diameter of the wu: 17.5cm, distance between the two sides of the centre of the gu: 19.8cm, thickness of the sides of the gu: 1.1cm, diameter of the top of the yong: 5.1-5.2cm, mid-body length: 28.0cm, height of each stud: 2.5cm, weight: 18.7kg, diameter of the bottom of the yong: 6.4-6.6cm, length of the xian: 32.3cm