Gilded Bronze Bell, According To François Hemony

Very original small gilt bronze bell, bearing on the circumference of the belly the Latin inscription "F. Hemony me fecit - Anno 1669" which can be translated as François Hemony made me - year 1669. The dress of the bell is decorated with various medieval scenes while the handle is made up of an austere-looking character's head, an effigy of François Hemony himself? The action of the clapper on this bell produces a very crystalline sound. Weight: 500 grams. This is obviously a miniature replica of one of the bells made in the 17th century by one of the Hemony brothers, a family among the most illustrious carillon makers in the Netherlands since it was the first to produce a set of bells with such a pure timbre that it made it possible to convert the carillon into a real musical instrument. François and Pierre Hemony were born in Lorraine at the beginning of the 17th century into a family of bell founders, and moved to Holland in 1641. It was there that they perfected the art of bell making through diligent research into bell tuning. Many streets in the Netherlands still bear the Hemony brothers' names today.