I commissioned this work of art for a "Tabernacle". The designs on the outer part are derived from the culturally important Dong Son drums dating back to around 600 BC. The inner part treats the central star or sun of the original in a different way, suggestive of both the sun and the cross, providing a base for an overlay of other Christian symbols. In almost 500 years of dialogue in Vietnam the two traditions have penetrated each other in interesting ways.
Image from Wikipedia of a Dong Son drum. The drums, cast in bronze using the lost wax method, are up to a meter in height and weigh up to 100 kg. Dong Son drums were apparently both musical instruments and cult objects. They are decorated with geometric patterns, scenes of daily life and war, animals and birds, and boats. More than 200 have been found, across an area from eastern Indonesia to Vietnam and parts of Southern China. They are the object of intense pride, sometimes expressed to me by my students, seen as symbolizing the self expression and identity of the Vietnamese people of an era predating Chinese domination.
