Biangu

This Chinese drum is known as a "biangu". It is made with a convex- shell, and decorated with a dragon design in black, white and green, on a red background. The heads are fastened to the drum by large-headed tacks. These drums are known in China as "low war drums". In the early 20th century, highly decorated versions of these drums were imported in large numbers to the United States where they were known as "tom toms" and used as part of early jazz drum kits.