Liao‑Jin‑Period Iron Wind‑Bell With Painted Floral Motifs

拍品描述

Dimensions: 24 cm (9.45 inches) wide, 27 cm (10.63 inches) high, 2640 g, 10th-13th century. Condition and Provenance: The main body is intact, with the top hanging ring well preserved. The iron core shows no structural fractures. The surface is covered with a thick layer of original buried rust. Remnants of red and white mineral pigments remain, with some painted layers peeling off due to age. There is inherent ancient damage on the lower edge. There are no modern welding repairs, repaintings, or chemical rust removals. This piece was originally from a private collection in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and was sold by a New York antique dealer in 2004, retaining its original provenance records and old photographs. Description: This Liao-Jin iron wind chime, decorated with painted floral patterns, was a common ceremonial hanging object in Liao-Jin Buddhist temple architecture. The wind chime is cast in iron, with a hanging ring at the top, a bell-shaped body, and a three-pronged openwork at the bottom. The floral cloud patterns are painted directly onto the iron surface with mineral pigments. Wind chimes, hanging under the eaves of pagodas and temple halls, produce a clear, ringing sound when the wind blows, forming an important part of the Liao and Jin Buddhist architectural complexes. Buried underground for a long time, they have developed multiple layers of primitive corrosion, with some ancient pigments still clearly visible, presenting a primitive yet solemn beauty. Well-preserved iron wind chimes with original painted decorations are extremely rare; the painted decorations on most similar artifacts have been almost completely destroyed. This artifact provides valuable material evidence for the study of Liao and Jin Buddhist material culture and ancient ironware painting techniques.

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