Chinese Rattle Ring

This unusual metal ring is an early 20th-century rattle used by Qing-dynasty merchants and street vendors to draw customers. Known as chuànlíng (串铃), the rattle is composed of a hollow metal ring containing small metal beads. Chuànlíng rattles were originally used by traveling physicians who practiced traditional medicine from town to town. Such rattles are also associated with the Medicine God Sun Simiao, who used his rattle to hold open a tiger's mouth while he removed a bone stuck in its throat. We've accentuated this rattle's sculptural form by placing it on a custom steel mount.