Product Description

Dongson Drum 1

Material: Bronze
Style: Bali
Size: Height 45.5 cm, diameter 38 cm, circumference 120 cm
Order Number: DD1

Background: Dongson drums are named after the Bronze Age culture of Dongson in North Vietnam, which dates back to 6th century BC. The popular hour-glass shaped drums spread throughout Southeast Asia. The largest known is “The Moon of Pejeng”, which is housed in a temple in Bali, and measures 186 cm in height and 160 cm in diameter. It is the height of a man and about 2,000 years old.

They were cast in 2 sections by the lost wax method. The flat top tympanum and great tubular body were later joined by a cuff. Decorated by concentric circles and geometric motifs, between the handles are some of the earliest representations of human faces in Indonesia.

The Balinese believe that the Moon of Pejeng was the wheel from the chariot of the moon goddess and that it fell into a tree as she was driving through the night sky.