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Barrel drum

Tanggu, double membrane barrel drum. Two inscriptions appear on each membrane. One consists of twenty Chinese characters within a square frame, translation: 'Little east door of the Shang Yang/Former true Zhou in front of the local temple/Self made class of the Lan institute/Entertain guests with the drum instrument'. The other inscription is a column of four Chinese characters within a leaf-shaped frame, translation: 'True Zhou Lan Institute'. The wooden shell lacquered black with a design of clouds and dancing cranes painted in gold. Four brass rings mounted to the widest part of the body on octagonal domed plates. These engage with hooks on the stand. The four-legged stand is of wood and is formed in a cross shape beneath the drum, with four upright arms that are curved to follow the shape of the body and extend to just beneath the upper membrane. The stand is collapsible; one of the diagonals is rigid, while the other is formed of two separate sections, which are hinged to the two sides of the first at the central axis. The skins are nailed to the body, each with two rows of closely positioned brass tacks.

  • Measurements:overall: 410 x 590 mm