A NEAR PAIR OF MING STYLE CLOISONNE ENAMEL ‘DRAGON’ TIBETAN TRUMPETS, DUNG-CHEN
China, Late Qing Dynasty to Republic / Minguo period
Made of cloisonne enamel and gilt copper, telescoping. Each...

A NEAR PAIR OF MING STYLE CLOISONNE ENAMEL ‘DRAGON’ TIBETAN TRUMPETS, DUNG-CHEN
China, Late Qing Dynasty to Republic / Minguo period
Made of cloisonne enamel and gilt copper, telescoping. Each adorned in bright and colourful enamels with eleven five-claw dragons flying amidst clouds over crashing waves, some of archaic frontal form (zheng long), some others seen from the side (xing long).  
H (widely open): 186 cm – H (collapsed): 53,5 cm
Notes:
1. The Dung-Chen is s a long telescopic trumpet or horn used in Tibetan Buddhist and Mongolian Buddhist ceremonies, preludes, processions and morning and evening call for prayers. It is the most widely used instrument in Tibetan Buddhist culture. It is often played in pairs or multiples, and the sound is compared to the singing of elephants.  
2. In ancient China, it was unusual for musical instruments to be enamelled. This technique would mostly have been reserved for boxes or vases. It is acknowledged that examples of this type were among the many instruments made in China and sent as gifts to impress officials of bordering nations. Gifts of musical instruments and the musicians who played them were common in East Asia.
3. A near pair of related trumpets dated to the Ming Dynasty are preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of New York (The Met), The United States of America, under accession number 1988.349.

近一对明式风格景泰蓝龙纹小号
中国，晚清至民国/现代

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