清康熙五十二年（1713） 御製鎏金銅蒲牢鈕八卦紋「蕤賓」編鐘 《康熙五十二年製》《蕤賓》

robustly cast in barrel form, surmounted by a handle in the form of two dragons side-by-side facing opposite directions, each dragon with mouth open to reveal its tongue and fangs, the details of their manes and scales finely rendered, the gently bulging sides cast with four vertical panels, the front panel enclosing the reign mark Kangxi wushier nian zhi set in a rectangular cartouche between a yinyang emblem and a solid line representing the male principal yang, the opposing similar panel cast with two characters ruibin denoting the bell's musical pitch, the side panels each with a scrolling archaistic kui dragon set between a ruyi and an angular scroll, the panels spaced equidistant between horizontal bands of alternating bosses and pairs of  trigrams, all above eight raised circular disks encircling the base, the wood stand carved with dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls

1900年代初得自中國
自此家族收藏

The bell was suspended from a cast-iron frame and used as a gong for over 100 years by the French owners and thus shows extensive wear. As it was hammered the surface is covered all over the exterior and top with small circular dents. The horizontal panel with the cast date has been flattened to due extensive usage and hammering yet the characters remain legible. There is extensive wear to the rich gilding and there are some greenish powdery encrustations in the recessed areas of the casting. The gilding on one side is a little matte and of a darker yellowish tone (visible in the catalogue illustration). The bell is extremely heavy and when tapped, it makes a beautiful sound.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

造型碩大，重量驚人，出自成組十六件編鐘，奏古樂十二律，最高與最低四律相距八度。律分陰陽，本鐘為蕤賓，乃十二律之第七律，屬陽律。據郎世寧（1688 -1766年）畫作《萬樹園賜宴圖》（約1755年繪），每鐘尺寸相同，厚度各異，分兩行排列，每行共八鐘。上述畫作曾展於《Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong》，芝加哥，2005年，編號101。編鐘乃宮廷禮樂之要器，康熙年間僅製四組，據傳乃為北京先農壇所製。首兩組製於康熙五十二年（1713年），次兩組製於五十四年（1715年），每件編鐘均刻年款。

本品出自首組編鐘，同組數鐘曾現身拍賣場；紐約蘇富比曾出售一例，1975年4月24日，編號240，香港蘇富比亦曾售兩例，分別為1979年5月17日，編號454及2007年10月9日，編號1327；此外尚有兩例，分售於紐約蘇富比2012年3月20日，編號70及倫敦蘇富比2012年12月18日，編號147。