Bronze Bell of Seonamsa Temple, Suncheon (2008-2)

This bell was originally cast as a medium-sized bell for Budoam Hermitage at Daewonsa Temple in Boseong County. It was made in 1657 by Kim Yong-am, a leading bell-founder representative of the Joseon period. Overall, the proportions of the bell's body are well balanced and stable, and its patterns are delicately rendered. The bell's hanger adopts a lively paired-dragon design in which two dragons each raise one leg to support a wish-fulfilling jewel. The workmanship is outstanding down to every detail — from the band of lotus-petal designs on the crown decorated with Sanskrit letters, the bands of Sanskrit-character and lotus-flower motifs at the top and bottom, the neatly arranged nipple-frames (蓮廓, squared borders each enclosing nine raised bosses) and the band of scrolling lotus arabesques, to the figures of Indra and Brahma and the memorial tablet inscribed with a prayer for the peace of the royal household. Together with the bell of Yongheungsa Temple in Damyang, this seventeenth-century masterpiece clearly displays the distinctive characteristics of Kim Yong-am's bronze bells.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Suncheon, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물