O-daiko Drum, Japan, ca. 1873Met Museum New YorkProvenance: Donated by The Crosby Bro
O-daiko Drum, Japan, ca. 1873Met Museum New YorkProvenance: Donated by The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments 1889H. 62 3/16 × Drum ø 22 in. (158 × 55.9 cm)This o-daiko with cloisonné stand and body was commissioned by the Japanese government for the Vienna Exposition of 1873. The drum’s cowhide skins, decorated with lacquer-work dragons were never sounded. Instead the drum is a symbol of peace as indicated by the presence of a rooster on top of the instrument. According to an ancient story, a drum was placed at a village gate to sound an alarm during an attack. As the years passed the drum was never used. Hens and roosters began to live in the drum and this image became an emblem of contentment and peace.[text source: @metmuseum] -- source link
#o-daiko#musical instruments#19th century#museum#public domain#cloisonné