Skip to main content
Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar), 18th to 19th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Shell, silver, turquo…
Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar)
Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar), 18th to 19th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Shell, silver, turquo…
Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar), 18th to 19th Century Tibet Autonomous Region Shell, silver, turquoise and coral; 11 3/4 × 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. 2021.8.8 Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih

Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar)

ClassificationsTools and Equipment-musical instruments-trumpets
Date18th to 19th Century
Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia
MediumShell, silver, turquoise and coral
Dimensions11 3/4 × 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (29.8 × 14 × 11.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2021.8.8
DescriptionThis object is a Tibetan shell trumpet or a Dung Dkar. These instruments are used by monks at ceremonies, to summon monks to prayer, and to summon spirits. Because it originates from the ocean, it is also associated with water, and is used in rituals having to do with summoning rains or dispelling hail. In Tibetan Buddhism they are one of the “Eight Treasures” and represent the sound of the Dharma or the voice of Sakyamuni Buddha preaching the Dharma. Conch shells which spiral to the right are particularly sought after. In general, these trumpets are worked in several ways: either the shell itself may be carved or, as is the case here, it has been adorned with an ornate silver fitting which has been socketed with coral and turquoise. In many cases the designs on dung dkar are religious, depicting Buddhist scenes or figures. This trumpet is decorated with vegetal motifs and animals, though it is unclear what symbolic meaning this arrangement of animals might hold.
On View
Not on view
Shell Trumpet (Dung Dkar), 18th to 19th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Shell; 16 × 8 1/2 × 7…
18th to 19th Century
Shell Trumpet, 20th Century
Papua New Guinea, Melanesia 
Shell; 6 × 12 × 5 in.
2014.15.17
G…
20th Century
Shell Trumpet, 20th Century
Unrecorded artist; Woodlark Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New …
Massim
20th Century
Shell Trumpet, late 19th to early 20th Century
Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia…
late 19th to early 20th Century
Shell Trumpet, 900-1200 
Purépecha culture; Puruándiro, Michoacan, Mexico
Conch shell and lim…
Purépecha
900-1200 CE
Horn, 20th Century
Iatmul culture; Middle Sepik River Region, East Sepik Province, Papua New G…
Iatmul
20th Century
Prayer Beads (Malas), 19th to 20th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Ivory, stone and cotton; 1…
19th to 20th Century
Sculpture of a Conch Horn, 200 BCE - 300 CE
Colima Shaft Tomb peoples; Colima, Mexico
Ceramic…
Huastec
200 BCE - 300 CE
Drum (Damaru), 19th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Human skull caps, silver, leather and clo…
19th Century
Drum (Damaru), 19th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Human skull caps, silver, leather and clo…
19th Century
Drum (Damaru), 20th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Wood, leather, cloth and shell; 4 3/8 × 7…
20th Century