id: 154710 accession number: 1989.3 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1989.3 updated: 2019-06-14 08:00:19.864000 Bell (Lai Zhong), c. 800-700 BC. China, Shaanxi province, Meixian, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). Bronze; overall: 70.3 x 37 x 26.6 cm (27 11/16 x 14 9/16 x 10 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1989.3 title: Bell (Lai Zhong) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 800-700 BC creation date earliest: 810 creation date latest: 690 current location: 241A Arts of Ancient China creditline: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund copyright: --- culture: China, Shaanxi province, Meixian, Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC) technique: bronze department: Chinese Art collection: China - Zhou Dynasty type: Metalwork find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 70.3 x 37 x 26.6 cm (27 11/16 x 14 9/16 x 10 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: Lai proclaimed: "Great and illustrious was my august late father who made his heart clean following the disciplined virtue of his forefathers and dutifully served the past king. I, Lai, now succeed him in service and dare not fail. Respectfully, from dawn to dusk I will earnestly--even unto death--serve the Son of Heaven, taking as a model the obligation of my forefathers." I, Lai, was presented with many things. Then came the [king's] gracious command: "Manage the fisheries and forests of the realm." "I, Lai, dare to respond to the great, illustrious, sagely, and gracious favor of the Son of Heaven, extolling him and using this as cause to make for my august late father Gongshu a set of harmonized bells. Ding, dong, bing, bong, ding, dong, bing, bong. May they be used in acts of piety, reverently gladdening past luminaries. May the past luminaries who dwell on high help perpetuate this command, sending down upon me good fortune, tranquility, and purity. May I, Lai, live long in service to the Son of Heaven." May sons' sons and grandsons' grandsons forever treasure these [bells]. translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Notable Acquisitions opening date: 1991-06-07T04:00:00 Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * CMA 1991: "Notable Acquisitions," June 6-September 15, 1991 --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: In ancient China music and ritual had political significance and were linked inseparably to the power of states. This bell bears a long inscription 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 offerings to his father, Gongshu, in the hope that they would be forever treasured by the future generations. This important inscription also provides an early example of Chinese calligraphy highlighting the purely abstract lines and construction of characters. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. page number: Reproduced: p. 7 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1991/page/n22 --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.3/1989.3_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.3/1989.3_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.3/1989.3_full.tif