Model of a Yongzheng Bell

Among the more unusual ceramics recovered from the Warring States (480 to 221 BCE) tombs of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are ash-glazed stonewares made in imitation of ritual bronze vessels. Several excavations have yielded a variety of carefully crafted replicas of specific vessel and bell types that were used in prestigious burials as substitutes for far more expensive ceremonial bronzes. Yongzheng bells were typically made in graduated sets and, since the ownership of bronze bells was regulated, it may be that ceramic bells, like the bronze ones, were assigned to certain classes of burials. This vessel has a thin, yellowish-green glaze that can be seen as a predecessor to the famous Yue celadon made later in this same region of southeast China. The hand-built object is accurately modeled with sculpted bosses, incised decorative zones, and correct proportions.