Adam's Fine Asian Art Preview 23 November 2021

www.adams.ie 75 Preview Asian Art |23 rd November 2021 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 ar- chaic frontal form (zheng long), some others seen from the side (xing long). H (widely open): 186 cm – H (collapsed): 53,5 cm €4,000 - 8,000 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 in- struments 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.