Musicians at Gyantse Fort

Musicians at Gyantse Fort

BMH.C.85.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Arthur Hopkinson

Collection

A. J. Hopkinson

Date of Photo

1927 - 1928. July 1927?

Region

Gyantse > Fort

Accession number

BMH.C.85.1

Image Dimensions

85 x 111

Two musicians who supported the masked dancers who performed at Gyantse Fort [see BMH.C.82.1 - 84.1 for related images]. The young girl is playing the cymbals and the more elderly man is playing a large drum

Further Information

Activity

Performing

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Expedition

A. J. Hopkinson's Tour of Duty as British Trade Agent, Gyantse, 1927-28

Other Information

In Negative - The negative has been cut quite crudely down both right and left edges, but especially down the right hand side [MS 13/07/2006]

Manual Catalogues -


Manual Catalogues - [Caption in A. J. Hopkinson's negative album 'Tibet C']: 'ACHE LHAMOS' [MS 28/04/2006]

Other Information - Description: [Extract from taped interview, Richard Blurton and Mrs Hopkinson] 'Musicians for Ache Lhamos dance at fort, showing cymbal and drum, as in monastic chanting marked to give pause or to give emphasis. But they weren't going the whole time. The drum was the main instrument. Same in lama dances' [MS 13/07/2006]

Other Information - Dates


Other Information - Dates: It is not certain when exactly this photograph was taken as Hopkinson makes no mention of these dancers in his journals. However, he does mention seeing some Ache Lhamo performances elsewhere in July 1927 and it was sometimes the case that British officers made invitations to such performers, especially small wandering troupes, to visit their residences in order to photograph them [see notes on Bell Collection]. However, these kind of performers would also be a relatively common sight as they toured the countryside to put on their plays. In the notes for BMH.C.87.1 however, Mrs Hopkinson suggests that they may have been in Gyantse in readiness for the annual Gun and Arrow Shooting competition, which took place on June 21st in 1927 [MS 13/07/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Musicians at Gyantse Fort" 05 Dec. 2006. The British Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_BMH.C.85.1.html>.

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