The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Ritual Drum (damaru)

c. 1800

Tibet

skull bone, cloth, hemp fiber, leather, and skin
Overall: 20.4 x 17.8 x 13.1 cm (8 1/16 x 7 x 5 3/16 in.)
The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr. 1918.391
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Dancing Shiva, in his form as Nataraja, holds a damaru in one hand.

Description

Damaru drums are made from the tops of two skulls joined in the center and sounded by rapidly turning it side to side so the ends of the cords fly up to sound against the stretched skin. In Hindu and Buddhist rituals, the rhythm of the damaru references the ongoing, relentless beat of time. The material of bone reminds practitioners of the inevitability of death in the course of time.
  • ?–1918
    Ralph King [1855–1926], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1918-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85. Mentioned: p. 82 www.jstor.org
    D. S. M. "Exhibition of Musical Instruments." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 8, no. 9 (1921): 134-43. Mentioned: pp. 134-137 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Ritual Drum (damaru)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1800|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.391