Antique Bronze Burmese Rain (Frog) Drum

Antique bronze Burmese Rain (Frog) Drum

Burma (modern day Myanmar), late 19th to early 20th century CE. A fabulous small bronze drum known as a Rain Drum or Frog Drum, with an impressive decorative program and rich iconography. The tympanum caps the hollow cylindrical and waisted body with two flanking handles beneath the rim. The tympanum is adorned with 4 engraved concentric patterned circles surrounding a central eight-pointed star, with four frogs positioned equidistantly around the rim. Around the body of the drum are additional intricate engraved decorations and rosettes.

Drums like this example are sometimes referred to as frog or rain drums and have been used in Southeast Asian cultural rituals for hundreds of years. In particular, the Karen people of Thailand and Burma (modern day Myanmar) have used such drums in funerary rituals to assist the deceased as they journey to the afterlife and in ceremonies to inspire spirits to bring about rainfall, hence the name Karen Rain Drum. The strap handles would have suspended the drum from a frame or tree limb with the tympanum facing horizontally outward at a 45 degree angle, and a padded mallet was used to strike the drum.

Purchase in Burma in late 70’s from antique store in Mandalay

Country: Burma (present day Myanmar)
Region: Mandalay
Material: Aged Brass
Dimensions: 5.87 Diameter Tympanum x 4.65 H
Weight: 3.39