Bronze bell coated with layer of enamel and decorated on waist by floral motif. Clapper: yellow bead. Upon its handle is Taoist Immortal—possibly Iron-Crutch Li—holding a walking stick in his right hand and a bottle-gourd or calabash in his left. According to legend, he has the gigantic eyes of the homeless dead corpse that he was forced to inhabit upon returning from heaven. These small table bells (acc. 1155-1177) all date from around the turn of the 20th century, at the close of the Twilight period of Old China. They are bronze with mono- or polychrome enamel. The handles offer a wide variety of colorful, even whimsical decoration. One series of handles features anthropomorphic figures, usually one of the "Eight Immortals" of Taoism. Another series has made use of the obsolete hat buttons which had formerly crowned the headdress of the Mandarin.
