page_title: Bell of King Seongdeok
section_title: Artistic characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Bell of King Seongdeok / Artistic characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: Bell of King Seongdeok. National Museum of Gyeongju. Korea. 2018
context_page_description: The Bell of King Seongdeok is a large bronze bell, the largest extant bell in Korea. The full Korean name means "Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great." It was also known as the Emile Bell, after a legend about its casting, and as the Bell of Bongdeoksa Temple, where it was first housed.
  The bell was commissioned by King Gyeongdeok to honor his father, King Seongdeok. However, King Gyeongdeok never lived to see the casting of the bell, as he died in 765 A.D. The bell was finally cast in 771 A.D., during the reign of Gyeongdeok's son, King Hyegong.
  Now stored in the National Museum of Gyeongju, the bell was designated as the 29th national treasure of Korea on December 12, 1962. It measures 3.75 meters high, 2.27 meters in diameter at the lip, and 12 to 25 centimeters in wall thickness. The Gyeongju National Museum weighed it in 1997, and found that its weight was 18.9 tons.
  When rung, it is said to have been heard from 40 miles away on a clear day.
context_section_description: The bell is considered a masterpiece of Unified Silla art. It is unique among Korean bronze bells because of the presence of a small hollow tube near the hook. The whole structure, including its decorative elements, produces a wide range of sound frequencies; the tube absorbs high frequency waves, contributing to a distinctive beat.
  The hook of the bell is in the shape of a dragon's head. There are many relief patterns on the bell, including flower patterns along the rim and shoulder. There are also reliefs of lotus flowers, grass, and a pair of two apsarases (heavenly maidens). The striking point of the bell (dwangja) is also in the shape of a lotus and sits between two of the apsara reliefs. The bottom of the bell is in a rhombic shape, lending it a look unique among bells of the Orient.
  The inscriptions on the bell, over a thousand hanja, are a fine example of Korean calligraphy and carving. They provide detailed information about the bell and why it was cast.
  The column the bell hangs on is quite firm. Even a column of the same diameter, made of a modern alloy, might bend under the weight of the bell, yet the bell still hangs on an ancient column that has lasted for several centuries.
caption: Bell of King Seongdeok. National Museum of Gyeongju. Korea. 2018
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