Bell cup

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Bell cup by artist Lu Ban consists of a gray ceramic object with a wide mouth. The object sits on a short base with a narrow stem and a bulbous body. The body features a series of rectangular holes. A wide, flat band encircles the center; below it are the rectangular holes, and above it are lines etched horizontally and vertically. The background is dark, transitioning from black at the top to light grey at the bottom.