Beautiful Large Rare 18th Century Lingam Singing Bowl – F2/F#2 Cusp, OM & B3

This large, rare, and stunningly beautiful Antique Lingam Singing Bowl is thought to date from the 18th Century. It has a very unusual shallow profile with gently rounded walls and a folded sheered lip surrounded by two decorative incised bands. Another single band encircles the outer wall below the belly.  

At its centre is a perfect Lingam surrounded and defined by a pair of circles, with another set some distance away. A single band encircles the inner rim. There is a neat matching navel or yoni underneath.

The fundamental note is on the cusp between a second-octave concert pitch F2 (88Hz) and F#2 (90Hz) when stuck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a heavy suede ringer. The rim note is a third octave B3 (249Hz – 253Hz) with a regular suede ringer. This bowl has lots of vibrant energy and will also produce the OM sound.

This bowl is in excellent structural condition, clean and free of stains. It is beautifully proportioned and has a fabulous aged bronze colour and bags of aesthetic appeal.

The interior surface is beautifully smooth, as is the upper part of the outer wall. However, the underneath presents a mystery because its hammer marks are still boldly in evidence, unlike the rest of the bowl. An antique bowl’s surface is generally uniformly worn smooth with centuries of use and ritual cleaning, so it appears this bowl may have always been cleaned in situ, and its bottom ignored, while resting on a pedestal or altar. It’s interesting to see how the prominent hammer marks on the bottom of the bowl have gradually transitioned from lumpy to perfectly smooth and refined elsewhere over time.

This is a particularly large and beautiful example of an early Lingam Singing Bowl, and its new guardian will have one of the rarest and finest specimens in the world!

The price includes a Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion, a padded striker and two suede ringers.

NOTE: Antique Lingam Singing Bowls are sacred ritual and musical vessels and the rarest and most sought-after of all Himalayan bowls. They typically have diameters of between 5 and 7 inches (23 to 28 cm). Very occasionally one of 9 or even 10 inches will come to light, but anything larger is virtually unheard of! This fabulous museum quality specimen has an astonishing diameter of 12 inches!