Handbell; dril-bu

Dril-bu, handbell used in Tibetan Buddhist ritual. Cup-shaped, brass clapper bell, with sides flared towards the rim. The exterior of the cup decorated with bands of symbolic designs round the principal axis: 7 characters in Lantsa (?) script, one repeated twice; a band of horizontal ritual sceptres (vajra); 16 law wheel symbols enclosed within lotus (?) flowers; a band of vertical ritual sceptres round the bell mouth. The jointed handle, with an inscription in Chinese, is surmounted by a crowned head and the five prongs of the ritual sceptre. The interior of the bell with three characters in Lantsa (?) script. Iron clapper suspended by metal rings. Overall height: 312 mm. Diameter of bell mouth: 112 mm.