Cleveland Museum of Art
Handle of a Jiangu Drum
- Date
- c. 770–475 BCE
- Medium
- bronze
- Culture
- China, Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE), Spring and Autumn period (770–475 BCE)
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
The most remarkable feature of this object is the four kneeling figures with ornamented bodies; Han dynasty sources mention cut hair and tattooing as a custom among the local Yue people. This bronze work served as a handle and top ornament of a large, barreled drum called jiangu (建鼓), supposedly made of lacquer and alligator skin. Two comparable handles from tombs dated to the Spring and Autumn period in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces were found amid musical instruments. The handle allows the drum to be suspended and played from the sides. The square stud on the head of each figure may represent a bun.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
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