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Zhong with Cloud Pattern (Bronze bell with studs) (2 bells)

Well preserved. Made of bronze. The colour on the surface is brown mixed with blue. The surface has mud and patina on it. The bells are of similar shape and structure. The body of each bell is shaped like a combined pair of tiles. The mouth (yu) is curved. Four arc-shaped grooves left by sharp tools used for tuning can be clearly seen inside the mouth of each bell. The grooves near the middle of the gu are quite deep. The area where two arced grooves meet is quite thick. The two xian points are pointing inwards. The upper surface (wu) is flat and has a suspension loop (niu) on it. The loop has triangle patterns on it. Two sides of the upper surface (wu) are decorated with curly cloud patterns. The centre of the gu is decorated with triangles and clouds. The areas in between have a plain design. Each bell has a total of 36 studs which are decorated with 4 curly cloud patterns. The thick framing lines dividing the studs, the areas (zhuan) between the studs, the central panel (zheng) and the gu are cast in low relief and are designed like interconnected “8”shapes. This design is rarely seen.

  • Measurements:Total height: 25.6cm, length of the xian: 13.8cm, height of the niu: 6.4cm, width of the xian: 10.3cm