Rubbing from the Inscribed Bronze Bell "Jing Ren 'N�' " Zhong

Late Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1100�771 b.c.e.), undated

Hanging scroll, ink rubbed on paper, 108.0 x 58.4 cm; dimensions of vessel on rubbing: 74.1 x 43.0 cm

Date of rubbing not given; Qing dynasty (1644�1911), late 19th�early 20th century

Inventory number: Biaozhou 562

This is a full-figured rubbing of an inscribed yongzhong, the major chime bell type of the Zhou dynasty.� A chime bell of this sort could have been made as part of a set of ritual vessels for presentation to a new lineage when it branched off from its principal lineage, or obtained as a gift of favor from one's superior, or made for the purposes of ancestor worship.� Inscriptions were most frequently placed on the bell's central zheng panel and gu portions, which feature an almond-shaped cross section.� The object from which this rubbing was taken contains 40 characters, with 32 on the central panel and 8 on the lower register; 7 of these 40 characters are marked for repetition.� The character for Jing is believed to be a place name, while that for Ren is likely the surname of the commissioner, and the one rendered as N� is perhaps his given name.

The original yongzhong, once owned by the scholar-official Pan Zuyin (1830�1890) and the Manchu collector Duanfang (1861�1911), is an elegant object with a conventionalized design of reptiles and dragons on the lower portion of the body, the shoulders, the lined parts on the surface of the body, and the handle.� This rubbing was made by Duanfang when the vessel was in his collection; the actual object is now preserved in the Museum of Calligraphy (Shodo hakubutsukan) in Tokyo.