What better to do after you've amassed a fortune selling ketchup? Collect art and drums of course. Norton Simon's spectacular museum in Pasadena, CA has some of the world's best assortment of modern era artwork from people you know, Van Gogh, Monet, yadayada of course. But he also has a wonderful collection of rare bronze rain-drums from SE Asia dating back to 4th Century BC. This is very exciting for us Americans because it is incredibly difficult to import these drums from Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos where they originated.
From around the 4th century BC, bronze drums were produced throughout Asia. The drums were similar in shape and decoration throughout the region. Typically these drums look like round tables on columnar pedestals.
The flat heads of these drums are decorated with a star in the center surrounded by concentric circles. Usually figurines of two frogs, one atop the other, can be seen on the rims of the drums. The drums are suspended from rings on their sides and struck with suspended logs.
One of the largest of these drums is still in use in a shrine in Pejeng, Bali. Called the "Moon of Pejeng," it is over one meter in diameter and two meters in length.
Pictures from the Norton Simon bronze drum collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/36837209@N00/sets/72157603180767603/
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