Lot 2209 , A Shan States bronze rain drum, the concentric ring decorated top mounted with stylised frogs, sides with loop handles and raised ring decoration, 66cm diameter, 57cm high

A Shan States bronze rain drum, the concentric ring decorated top mounted with stylised frogs, sides with loop handles and raised ring decoration, 66cm diameter, 57cm high
£1,200-1,800
This type of drum which ultimately derives from the much earlier Dong Son type (see lot 324) was traditionally made in the Shan states for the Karen people. The drum would be beaten during a ritual to encourage rainfall to enable the harvest. The Karen are a major ethnic group in Burma with origins in Yunnan province in China. See Richard M. Cooler, ~The Karen Bronze Drums of Burma: Types, Iconography, Manufacture and Use~, Leiden 1995

Condition:
Honest untouched condition, traces of green patination running around the edges and more notable on the sides, some small dents and knocks around the sides, one section cut away from the foot in a rectangle, another further broken away section on the other side, one small hole half way up the side.

Unsold