Shipping It

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Serpentine Drum Stand From The Warring States Period

Another surrealist masterpiece. Artifacts like this make Warring States one of my favorite eras.)

The stand is conceived for the Jian type drum (建鼓), a double-headed drum with a pole, fixed on this base. The drum was skewered on a pole, just like an olive on a toothpick:

The top of the pole was often ornate with fluttering feathers (羽葆), the structure itself being reminiscent of the archetypal Axis Mundi and the World Tree. The motif of ascent to the heavenly realms thanks to drumming is characteristic of shaman beliefs.

Han dynasty relief depicting the Ascension to Heavens. A pole with a two-headed Jian drum is portrayed in a shamanic manner, as the World Axis, piercing the realms. Jiangsu Normal University Museum (江蘇師範大學博物館).

The slot is surrounded by sixteen principal serpentine beings with progressing in fractal minor ones. They were inlaid with now lost turquoise.

Although intricate, the base is symmetrical. Four rings along the contour were used as carrying handles. The weight of the device is impressive: more than 192 kg. Unearthed in 1978 from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (Leigudun Tomb No.1 ), Suizhou, Hubei. On display in Hubei Provincial Museum (湖北省博物館).

Photo: ©湖北省博物馆藏

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