Very cool item. Where/how did you get it?
The picture is worth a thousand words. Mike.
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Very cool item. Where/how did you get it?
The picture is worth a thousand words. Mike.
I'm guessing it was a temple bell at one time. "Dong" on it with something wooden and see what it does.
That's kinda what I was wondering if it might have come from a cemetery?? OHHHHhhhhQuote:
Originally Posted by hobo finds
You know, right beside the urn,,
The studs on it make it look more like Indo-chinese. Do you have any pictures of the writing?
Can't help you any with it, but its very cool. Love to know more about it if you find anything out.
If what you have is original it would be a Chinese bronze artifact from the Zhou dynasty. It is called a zhong and it was made to be used as a bell (you are actually holding it upside down). Ancient chinese bells (either zhongs or naos) did not have clappers in them - instead they were designed to resonate when they were struck with a T-shaped mallet.
There is of course several ways to tell if the bell you are holding is original (and bare in mind if it is original it will be between 2,000 and 3,500 years old). The easiest way to tell is to suspend the bell and strike it with a wooden mallet in the centre. It should make a lovely sound. The real magic is that if you strike the bell on the side it should then make a second, different note, as all genuine zhongs were bells that made two notes.
If I had to guess from the picture however, I would suggest that this bell is a much later copy. Original zhongs are beautifully and intricately carved on the inside of the bell with extremely fine patterning, which it doesn't look like this bell has.
It's well worth getting checked out though, as my knowledge of such things is quite basic.
wow, Wayne, that's very impressive!
Id respond to ya skyline and argue my point, but i dont care enough too haha. I'm tired, and this topic actually turned out kinda cool.
Ahh, that's o.k. Hoss. I wasn't looking to argue with ya. I just didn't see how his question coulda been answered up until he showed the picture. Looks like wayne gave him a great answer there. I gotta agree with ya, it did turn out pretty cool.
Bianzhong! I just found them on internet. very cool. I guess I should run a knotted rope through it and hang it that way. Then a wooden mallet. No it is not scribed on the interior and the only place I can see clean brass is at the top (the real top) inside the neck where it hangs. Maybe a more rigid attachment would be better. not sure. I'm glad I posted here after all that. Thanks. When I have more time I'll add more details of the writing and such.
Looks pretty cooi.Nice convo piece!
Here's how to make money with it.
1.) Buy a mini storage place in California.
2.) Put it in one of the units in plain sight.
3.).Get Storage Wars to film on your property.
4.) Let Dave and Jarrod get into a bidding war over it.
YUUUUP!
Cool Find Elfo. And glad you did not get chased off, sometimes we too quick and chastise for asking questions rather than answering. I would not make an attempt to clean it up. You may reduce the value significantly, many items are worth much more with their as found or original patina.