Bronze Water Clock in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2017

Water Clock


Object Details

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Culture: China

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: Overall H. 20 5/8 in. (52.4 cm); Diam. 8 1/4 in. (20.9 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Lent by Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology


This water clock originally had a gauge incised with lines marking divisions of time. Probably made of wood or bamboo, the gauge was inserted into the hole in the cover and floated on the water. As the water drained at a constant rate through the tube at the bottom, the gauge sank steadily, allowing the time to be read at each mark. Water clocks were kept in every office throughout the empire. Beginning in Qin times, officials were required to note the date and time of all incoming and outgoing correspondence and to record this information on the documents themselves.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/696219?