|
|
|
|
Excavated Dong Son ceremonial bell, N. Vietnam
[vie35010460]
|
This is a Vietnamese ceremonial bell dating back to between the 3rd
century BC and the 1st century AD. It is crafted by the Dong Son people
who occupied what is now Northern Vietnam, parts of Southern China and
Cambodia. The Dong Songs, named after the region in Vietnam that
provided the first massive excavation of this culture's metalwork, were
very excelled in casting bronze which they used in crafting their daily
utensils, jewels, weapons and ceremonial paraphenalias.
The casting of bronze requires some respectable amount of resources and
were therefore items of status and wealth. This would not be owned by a
lay individual but by a place of worship. Bells were almost certainly
used religiously and not as instruments for entertainment. Although the
rituals that these bells might be used for are still mysterious to us
today, contemporary literature from China describing Dong Son
ceremonies and reliefs from Dong Son drums show that this culture’s
rituals involved drums, dancing, bells, and sacrifices.
Contemporary Vietnamese culture does not use similar bells. Calling of
ceremony today employs much larger bells and gongs, while metal bowls
scaled more to the size of this bell are struck during Buddhist
incantations. There is no loop at the top of the bell (the two “antenna”
do not have perferations) indicating where they were strung. The slits
on the top of the bell may serve either as an acoustic enhancement or
for this aforementioned function. Differing sizes in bells suggest that
they may be used in concert with each other to produce differing tones. The
lack of decoration on these drums suggest that they do not hold as
central a position in ceremonies as the much decorated Dong Son rain drums.
This bell is in fine condition without any repairs!!
It stands 8" high without the stand and 11" with the stand. It is
5.5" wide at the base and 2.75" deep and weighs 3 lbs.
|
|
$450.00
|
|
|
To ADD this item on your order fill in the fields below and select the 'Add to Order' button. Otherwise select the 'Don't Add' button.
|
|
|
|
