Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Bells of Ancient China and Beyond

Thousands of years ago, Chinese musicians worked with foundry technicians to cast matched sets of bronze bells of different sizes to produce a range of tones. They developed oval-shaped bells that, depending on where they were struck, produced two distinct pitches with an intentional interval between them. Here you will find bells in the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art.


  • National Museum of Asian Art 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Miniatures 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Chinese 36 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Buddhists 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Japanese 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Erlitou culture 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Iranians 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Koreans 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Middle Easterners 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Southeast Asians 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1100s 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1200s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1300s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1640s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1800s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1900s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1910s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 900s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • BCE 0s 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • BCE 1000s 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • China 36 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Henan province 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Houma foundry 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Japan 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Shanxi province 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anyang 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yangzi River valley 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Jincun 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Korea 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sichuan province 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Google Arts & Culture 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of Asian Art 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Art 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Bronze 37 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Metal-work 37 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Chinese Art 36 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sculpture 30 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Charles Lang Freer collection 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE) 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Animals 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE) 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Not determined 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Usage conditions apply 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus

Filter Settings

Included:

  • Remove Resource Type: Musical instruments close

Collar bell with masks (taotie)

Clapper bell (ling) with masks (taotie)

Cizhou ware bell

Altar bell

Altar bell

Miniature bell

Signaling bell (zheng)

Cizhou ware bell


  1. First page First
  2. Previous page Previous
  3. Page 1
  4. Current page 2
arrow-up Back to top
Home
  • Facebook facebook
  • Instagram instagram
  • LinkedIn linkedin
  • YouTube youtube

  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Shop Online
  • Job Opportunities
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use