A Spectacular F3 Thadobati Singing Bowl – is it Old or New?

Huge Thadobati Singing Bowl.   F3 (170Hz) Heart Chakra
Weight 5 lb 8¼ oz. (2.5 kilos).   28.5 x 13 cm (approx. 11¼ x 5 inches)

A large and magnificent singing bowl with an utterly awesome voice – struck or played it’s absolutely beautiful!

The condition of this fabulous singing bowl is such that one could be forgiven for thinking it was a modern reproduction of the highest order…and that possibility remains, except that my 25+ years experience with singing bowls suggests it could be otherwise!

Let me explain.  First, the case for it being a modern bowl is almost entirely due to its stunning golden colour and its spectacular unblemished condition.  Secondly, its simple but abundant decorative features are all clearly defined, with little or no signs of the wear one might expect to find on an old bowl.  It looks new, or at least almost new!  And it’s a fact that some singing bowls continue to be hand-forged in the traditional way today…so this is a possibility.

On the other hand there are definitely some genuinely old bowls in an excellent state of preservation.  And there’s always the possibility of finding one that’s never been used, or one that’s been exclusively employed for sacred or ceremonial purposes, or for the storage of dry grain…any of which might account for a bowl’s pristine condition.  There are also antique bowls that have been carefully restored, cleaned up, and polished to perfection by specialist dealers.  Could this bowl be one of those?

This bowl may look suspiciously clean, and could have been made recently, but it has an unusual form that would be challenging and time-consuming to make.  The quality is second to none!  It is certainly not typical of most of the hand-beaten bowls made today.  In fact it’s something of a hybrid that combines some of the elements of the Jambati form (weight, size, curved wall) with those of the Thadobati form (thick wall, straight rim, flat bottom, and decoration). It has the letter M discretely engraved on the outer wall.  A particular feature of this bowl is its sun motif (dot within a circle) decoration sometimes found on early Thadobati bowls (17^th to 19^th century).  These can be seen at its centre, below the outer rim and around its belly.  There are also eight downward facing triangles, composed of suns, at regular intervals around the rim.  These are normally only found on old bowls.

On balance I would probably call this bowl a Thadobati…but an exceptionally large one!  It has an 11¼-inch diameter while the average is closer to 8 inches.  And at 2½ kilos it’s very heavy.  It would be a very expensive and idiosyncratic bowl for a modern forge to make on spec.  This is an important consideration because there are many other singing bowl forms that are easier to make and more commercially viable and popular…such as the archetypal, and arguably more graceful, Jambati.

So this is either a genuine antique bowl in exceptional condition, or a fantastic reproduction of the highest quality.  I simply can’t say for certain.  It may look like a new bowl but it definitely sings like an antique.  Take your pick!

I’ve priced it somewhere between the two.  Either way it makes a heavenly sound!

The price includes a large padded striker and a heavy suede ringer.

{audio}thado2500f.mp3{/audio}

Listen: 2 struck notes and 2 played notes)