Upright bell (nao)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nao were typically arranged in sets of three or five. Played with the mouth facing upward, smaller examples could be held in the hand while larger ones, known as yong, required a frame support. Shang-dynasty instruments such as this nao were frequently decorated with the taotie motif—a symmetrical design representing the flattened face, or "split representation," of a mythological animal.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art