Suspension Bell (Bo), Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-256 B.C.), first half of 5th century B.C. Bronze. 62.2 x 43.6 x 36.8 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection, 1938.1335. 

On top of this symmetrical bronze bell perch two crested birds, each arching back to swallow its tail. Coiled snakes and chasing dragons are camouflaged in the bell’s alternating rows of raised knobs and interlocking waves. Dating from the middle of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, this particular bo or bell is from a set of four, which were suspended in order of size from horizontal beams and played with wooden mallets in court ceremonies honoring royal ancestors or the change of seasons. The bells were cast using an alloy of copper, tin, and lead poured into precisely fitted multipart clay molds. A unique feature of ancient Chinese bells is their almond-shaped cross-section, which allowed them to produce two distinct tones, a minor or major third apart. One note is achieved by striking at the center of the bottom third section, here demarcated by expanded dragons; the other by hitting near the bell’s edge. Unlike Western bells, chimes of Chinese bells could play melodies, sometimes spanning octaves.