ITEM |
Dong son Rain Drum |
ORIGIN |
Vietnam |
DATE |
Dong son period (5th century BCE - 1st century AD) |
SIZE |
29 x 29 x 22 cm |
DESCRIPTION |
Heger I Dong Son drum. These drums were fabricated by the Dong Son culture, in the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam. The drums were produced from about 600 BC until the third century AD, and are one of the culture's finest examples of metalworking. The drums, cast in bronze using the lost wax method, can be up to a meter in height and weigh up to 100 kg. They may be based on a form originally from Yunnan although this is controversal. Dong Son drums were apparently both musical instruments and cult objects. They are decorated with geometric patterns, scenes of daily life and war, animals and birds, and boats. The latter alludes to the importance of trade to the culture in which they were made, and the drums themselves became objects of trade and heirlooms. Note that the base edges of this drum were repaired at the time I acquired it. The edges were corroded as would be expected for a bronze from this period. |
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