商 青铜鐃|Upright bell (nao)

Unknown

13th century BCE · Bronze · Asian Art

Nao were typically arranged in sets of three or five. Played with the mouth facing upward, smaller examples could be held in the hand while larger ones, known as yong, required a frame support. Shang-dynasty instruments such as this nao were frequently decorated with the taotie motif—a symmetrical design representing the flattened face, or "split representation," of a mythological animal.

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. John Marriott, Mrs. John Barry Ryan, Gilbert W. Kahn, Roger Wolfe Kahn (children of Addie W. Kahn), 1949