Fascinating ‘Buddha Bowl’ with Long Inscription & Extraordinary F4 Voice

Unusual Antique Singing Bowl.  F4 (352Hz) Heart Chakra
Weight 2 lb 2¾ oz (1.01 kilos).   Size 17 rim x 11.5 cm (approx. 6¾ x 4½ inches)

This rare antique singing bowl was described as a ‘Buddha Begging Bowl’ by my Nepalese source, although I cannot say at present if this is a factual statement or merely his own classification for this unusual type of bowl.  

What I can say is that spherical bowls like this are extremely rare and they nearly always have interesting sonic properties.  This one is no exception.  The struck note, an excellent middle octave F (352Hz) with a long sustain…seems almost to be contained within the belly of the bowl before escaping like sonic steam through its open mouth.  There is an extraordinary sense of physically holding the sound within one’s hands after striking or playing it around the rim.  The rim note changes to a fifth octave B (998Hz) if a wooden ringer is used.  A padded striker and a ringer are included in the price.

This is clearly a very old bowl, possibly 17^th century, and although it is clean and structurally sound there is surface evidence of a long life of service.   Which brings me back to the ‘Begging Bowl’ question; because this bowl has one of the longest dot-punched inscriptions I have ever seen, signifying its high status and value to a former keeper.  Unfortunately I do not know if this is a dedication to a deity, a mantra or a name, although the latter seems unlikely because of its length.  The inscription goes halfway around the bowl’s circumference and even extends to a second line.  It begins and ends with a small flower motif.

On close examination one can see that the bowl is decorated with sun symbols (punched dots within circles) that encircle it just below the rim…a motif that is generally only found on found on early bowls.  The long inscription was added at a later stage and applied over the top of the sun motifs.

A very rare and interesting antique bowl with unusual sonic properties!

{audio}uthado1010f4.mp3{/audio}

Listen: (2 struck notes and 2 played notes, the first with a suede ringer and the second with a wooden one)

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