Alchemical Table Bell of Rudolf II in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2020

Alchemical table bell of Emperor Rudolf II
ca. 1600


Object Details

Title: Alchemical table bell of Emperor Rudolf II

Artist: Hans Bulla (Czech, 1550–1650)

Date: ca. 1600

Culture: Bohemian, Prague

Medium: Gilt alloy of seven metals, clapper of iron and bronze.

Dimensions: Height: 3 1/16 in. (7.8 cm)
Diameter: 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Kunstkammer, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Emperor Rudolf II is reputed to have used this bell in his practice of alchemy, a complex discipline centering on the transformation of matter. Goldsmith Hans Bulla claimed to have cast the bell from an alloy of seven different metals, a powerful substance called "electrum" in alchemical texts. Its decorations—including the seven planetary gods, their symbols, and the associated zodiac signs, as well as Greek and Hebrew letters on the interior—relate to rituals and beliefs associated with alchemy.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/768774