Hollow shaft bell (nao) with masks (taotie) and dragons

Historical period(s)
Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-1200 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 70 x 52 x 35 cm (27 9/16 x 20 1/2 x 13 3/4 in) Weight: 90718.4 grams (3200 oz)
Geography
China, lower Yangzi River valley
Credit Line
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1999.120.1
On View Location
Sackler Gallery 23a: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Musical Instrument
Type

Bell

Keywords
China, Paul Singer collection, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)
Provenance

To 1970
Alan Hartman, New York. [1]

From 1970 to 1997
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, New Jersey, purchased from Alan Hartman, New York. [2]

From 1997 to 1999
In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC [3]

From 1999
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler. [4]

Notes:

[1] See Curatorial Remark 5 in the object record. Dr. Paul Singer purchased this object from Alan Hartman of the Hartman Rare Art, Inc., New York in 1970.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art was in the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC between 1997 and 1999.

[4] See ā€œThe Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreementā€ from March 1999, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Alan Hartman
Dr. Paul Singer 1904-1997
Dr. Carol Master born 1941
Dr. Elizabeth A. Sackler born 1948
Arthur F. Sackler born 1950
Denise Marika born 1955
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation founded 1965
AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities founded 1981

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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