Frame Drum
Made about 1887 and painted by Thunder Elk in 1904, this drum’s symbolism remains elusive. Yellow, here representing the earth, is often associated with abundance, dark blue with the sky. Frame drums were used to accompany song and dance in both secular and sacred contexts.
Artwork Details
- Title: Frame Drum
- Maker: Thunder Elk
- Date: ca. 1887
- Geography: Dakotas, United States
- Culture: Native American (Sioux)
- Medium: wood, leather, sinew (buffalo or deer); metal wire; pigment
- Dimensions: Drum: 13 5/8 × 13 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (34.6 × 34.3 × 4.8 cm)
Beater: 12 3/4 × 3/4 × 3/4 in. (32.4 × 1.9 × 1.9 cm) - Classification: Membranophone-single-headed / frame drum
- Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
- Object Number: 89.4.3326a, b
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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