Object Image

Yunluo (雲鑼 )"Cloud Gong"

The yunluo consists of ten tuned bronze gongs of varying thicknesses, which provide different pitches when struck with a small mallet. First cited in the early fourteenth century, this instrument was originally used at court and in Confucian ceremonies, but by the eighteenth century, it was also found at private rituals such as weddings and funerals. By the mid-twentieth century, it had been incorporated into large orchestras and was enlarged to twenty-four or more gongs struck with two mallets.

Credit: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889

19th century
Bronze, wood
71.1 x 16.5 x 10.2 cm
89.4.15a
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection