Melikian-Chirvani (A.S.:Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World, 8-18th Centuries, London, 1982, pp.307-9) describes in detail the only Persian hawking drum to have been published. The present example is very similar to that in form, notably with its slightly inverted rim. The Victoria and Albert Museum example however has a much stronger curve to the lower sides. The decoration of that example is also different, having much more in common with the general corpus of engraved Safavid brasses than the present drum with its delicate shallow engraving and higher tin content in the metal.