Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This miniature bell was once used as part of Buddhist indoor rituals. Likely suspended in a Buddhist temple, it features a cast dragon and a vertical tube to amplify the sound on top, and is decorated with Buddhist figures seated on lotuses. The echoing sound of the bell was thought to help Buddhist believers understand the significance of transience and impermanence; the sound instantly fades away as soon as one hears it. This sensory experience creates a striking conceptual parallel with Buddhist teachings, including the idea that all things and beings exist merely in our perception or imagination. An inscription indicates it was cast in the year of the dragon and took three years to make.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
156281
label
Bronze Ritual Bell
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156281
contentType
object
title
Bronze Ritual Bell
description
This miniature bell was once used as part of Buddhist indoor rituals. Likely suspended in a Buddhist temple, it features a cast dragon and a vertical tube to amplify the sound on top, and is decorated with Buddhist figures seated on lotuses. The echoing sound of the bell was thought to help Buddhist believers understand the significance of transience and impermanence; the sound instantly fades away as soon as one hears it. This sensory experience creates a striking conceptual parallel with Buddhist teachings, including the idea that all things and beings exist merely in our perception or imagination. An inscription indicates it was cast in the year of the dragon and took three years to make.
date
1226
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60761459
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 14 cm (5 1/2 in.); Overall: 22.6 cm (8 7/8 in.)
cul
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
accession
1992.118
Source extras
tec
cast bronze with incised inscription
tombstone
Bronze Ritual Bell (청동 범종 [靑銅梵鐘]), 1226. Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Cast bronze with incised inscription; diameter: 14 cm (5 1/2 in.); overall: 22.6 cm (8 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1992.118
titleInOriginalLanguage
청동 범종 [靑銅梵鐘]
collection
Korean Art
didYouKnow
The inscription informs us that this miniature indoor bell was produced in 1226.
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1992.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 80, no. 2 (February 1993): 38–79.
page_number
Reproduced: p.45, fig. 414; Mentioned: p. 78
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Michael R. Cunningham. <em>Masterworks of Asian Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art; New York: Thames and Hudson, 1998.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 235
citation
<em>Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392</em>. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 188, no. 56; p. 191, no. 57, Mentioned: p. 168
citation
Choi, Eung-chon. “Metal Arts in the Late Goryeo Period [고려후기의 금속공예].” <em>Kangjwa misulsa</em> (2004): 125-156.
citation
Choi, Eung-chon. “Craftsmen in Metal Arts in the Goryeo Dynasty [고려시대 金屬工藝의 匠人].” <em>Misulsahak yeongu</em> (2004): 171-192.
citation
Kim, Eunae. "A Study of Repoussé Works of Goryeo [고려시대 타출 공예 연구]." <em>Korean Journal of Art History </em>(March 2007): 31-72.
citation
<em>The spirit of Goryeo in metalcrafts</em> [금속공예에깃든고려인의삶]. Seoul: Jeju National Museum and National Cheongju Museum, 2011.
citation
<em>Bronze in Life and Art</em> [삶과 예술 속. 청동 靑銅 이야기] National Cheongju Museum (2016).
citation
<em>Goryeo: The Glory of Korea </em>[대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
citation
Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. <em>The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 130–131, no. 93
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
sketchfabId
b487349bf0ff4690adebb301edeaa179
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:16:09.144000
sourceId
156281
dept
Korean Art
coll
Korean Art
med
cast bronze with incised inscription
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0f667b103697d68a