Vintage Chinese Hammered Bronze Table Mantel Gong Dinner Bell w Stand & Mallet

Description

Vintage Chinese hammered bronze table gong with stand and mallet. Features deep heavy sound.

Gongs likely originated in the Bronze Age in what is now Tibet. Archeologists have unearthed ancient gongs in present-day China, Indonesia, Burma, and the Annam region of Vietnam. The actual word ""gong"" is Indonesian, and gongs are common in the gamelan ensembles on the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali

In Asian families, the gong was an attribute of wealth and served as a status symbol. In rites, the gong was used in the evocation of ghosts and in the banning of demons. Touching a gong brought you fortune and strength. In rituals of the Far East, the Chinese used gongs for many ceremonial functions. They were struck to announce when the Emperor or other important political and religious figures arrived. Military leaders also used gongs to gather men together for battle. In more recent history, gongs have been used for dinner bells.

Condition

Dimensions

15" x 5" x 18"h, gong 9.25" x 1.5"h, drum stick 10"