Agate Chime

18th century

This Qing-dynasty stone chime reflects the replication and transformation of archaic objects in later Chinese art. Stone chimes were used in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (circa 1600–256 b.c.) for ceremonial purposes and were originally smoothly carved and chevron shaped. China’s Bronze Age was revered in later dynasties, and stone chimes were revived along with other archaic objects and motifs. This piece is decorated with the taotie design, a zoomorphic mask often seen on ritual bronzes of ancient China. The agate material and ornate carving suggests that the chime served a decorative rather than a ceremonial purpose.