Yunluo (雲鑼 )"Cloud Gong"

Unknown

19th century · Bronze, wood · Musical Instruments

The yunluo consists of ten tuned bronze gongs of varying thicknesses, which provide different pitches when struck with a small mallet. First cited in the early fourteenth century, this instrument was originally used at court and in Confucian ceremonies, but by the eighteenth century, it was also found at private rituals such as weddings and funerals. By the mid-twentieth century, it had been incorporated into large orchestras and was enlarged to twenty-four or more gongs struck with two mallets.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Bronze, wood

Culture

Chinese

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889