An Inscribed Guoshulǚ Bell from the Freer Collections and its Relevant Issues

In Freer Gallery of Art, there is an inscribed bronze bell. According to its inscription, it is called Guoshulǚ bell, namely, the owner of the bell was Guoshulǚ. This paper examines the inscriptions, compares with other provenanced Guoshulǚ bells, discusses the combination and acoustical property of Guoshulǚ bells. In conclusion, the author thinks that Guoshulǚ bell in Freer Gallery of Art can be dated to Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 8th-9th century B.C.), but it is a true bell with the false inscription, the complete set of Guoshulǚ bells has 8 pieces, the tones of the bells can be formed with a tetrachord in Chinese yu mode.