Jhyālī

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Musical Instruments, this 19th-century *Jhyālī* from Nepal exemplifies the artistry of traditional craftsmanship. Fashioned from brass, this pair of small, shallow discs measures 22.5 cm in diameter 4.6 cm in depth, making it perfectly suited for handheld performance. As an idiophone-concussion instrument, it produces its resonant, shimmering sound when the two discs are struck together, a technique that demands skill to create varied rhythms and tones. In Nepalese culture, *jhyālī* like this one played a vital role in folk, devotional...