Rkangling (end-blown trumpet)
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.In Tibetan esoteric Buddhism, instruments and ritual objects made from human bone are powerful tools for achieving enlightenment. Practitioners employ such emblems of mortality to confront death, fear, and the illusion of self. While this rkangling is not made from skeletal remains, its shape references the skulls and femurs traditionally used for sacred drums and trumpets.
Artwork Details
- Title: Rkangling (end-blown trumpet)
- Date: ca. 1960
- Culture: Tibetan
- Medium: Copper alloy, brass, stone, and paint
- Dimensions: Overall length (straight): 14 1/2 in.
Tube length: 15 1/2 in.
External diameter (smallest, largest): 1.1 in., 1.6 in. - Classification: Aerophone-Lip Vibrated-trumpet / trombone
- Credit Line: National Music Museum, South Dakota; Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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