Rubbing from the Inscribed Bronze Bell "Jing Ren 'Nü' " Zhong

Late Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1100–771 b.c.e.), undated

Hanging scroll, ink rubbed on paper, 108.0 x 58.4 cm; dimensions of vessel on rubbing: 74.1 x 43.0 cm

Date of rubbing not given; Qing dynasty (1644–1911), late 19th–early 20th century

Inventory number: Biaozhou 562

This is a full-figured rubbing of an inscribed yongzhong, the major chime bell type of the Zhou dynasty.  A chime bell of this sort could have been made as part of a set of ritual vessels for presentation to a new lineage when it branched off from its principal lineage, or obtained as a gift of favor from one's superior, or made for the purposes of ancestor worship.  Inscriptions were most frequently placed on the bell's central zheng panel and gu portions, which feature an almond-shaped cross section.  The object from which this rubbing was taken contains 40 characters, with 32 on the central panel and 8 on the lower register; 7 of these 40 characters are marked for repetition.  The character for Jing is believed to be a place name, while that for Ren is likely the surname of the commissioner, and the one rendered as Nü is perhaps his given name.

The original yongzhong, once owned by the scholar-official Pan Zuyin (1830–1890) and the Manchu collector Duanfang (1861–1911), is an elegant object with a conventionalized design of reptiles and dragons on the lower portion of the body, the shoulders, the lined parts on the surface of the body, and the handle.  This rubbing was made by Duanfang when the vessel was in his collection; the actual object is now preserved in the Museum of Calligraphy (Shodo hakubutsukan) in Tokyo.