Temple bell with handle of a pair of addorsed lions and a dragon / Artist Unknown, Burma
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2002/2.237A-C
- Title
- Temple bell with handle of a pair of addorsed lions and a dragon
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, Burma
- Artist Nationality
- Burmese
- Medium and Support
- bronze with traces of polychrome
- Object Creation Date
- 1907
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Myanmar (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Myanmar (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Timothy L. Dickinson and Anja Lehmann
- Dimensions
- 109.22 cm x 60.96 cm x 35.56 cm (43 in. x 24 in. x 14 in.)
- Century
- Early 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- bell
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- bell
- Physical Description
- Bronze temple bell with traces of polychrome, text, and lowermost handle in shape of a pair of addorsed lions. A decorated post threads through the space created by the back-to-back lions, on which an additional handle decorated with addorsed dragons is thread. The open space created between the dragons' connecting tails is where part of a frame would pass through, suspending the bell above the ground. This type of bell does not have a metal clapper, and is rung by striking with a wooden stick.
- Subject Matter
- While the history of percussive bells in the cultures of Asia dates back thousands of years, they became particularly important in Burma where every large temple has dozens of them in all sizes, most of which are donations from the pious.
- According to the inscription on this bell, dated June 4th of 1907, it was donated to a village monastery by a family, who, “keeping nibbana (nirvana) as the ultimate goal,” wanted to accumulate “good merit in this life and subsequent rebirths.” The acquisition of merit is the most common impetus behind donations to monasteries and temples in all Buddhist countries as it is a simple way for a layperson to assure a better life for him- or herself and their family in their next incarnation.
- Secondary Keywords
- hollow-bodied
- animals and creatures
- bells and sets of bells
- buildings and the land
- chordophones
- copper alloy
- copper and copper alloy
- descriptors
- directly struck idiophones
- inorganic material
- legendary creatures
- mammals
- materials
- materials by composition
- metal
- metal and metal products
- metal by composition or origin
- nonferrous metal
- objects we use
- percussion idiophones
- religious buildings
- religious structures
- single built works
- single built works by function
- single built works by specific type
- sound devices
- sound devices by acoustical characteristics
- struck idiophones
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1878 x 2628
- File Size
- 657 KB
- Record
- 2002/2.237A-C
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2002-sl-2.237a-c/2002_2.237.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2002-SL-2.237A-C:2002_2.237.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Temple bell with handle of a pair of addorsed lions and a dragon; Artist Unknown, Burma." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2002-sl-2.237a-c/2002_2.237.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 16, 2024.
