Huge Antique Manipuri Singing Bowl – F#3 Concert Pitch & Inscrip

Antique Manipuri Singing Bowl.  F#3 & C5 Notes (Heart & Root Chakras)
Weight   2lb 15 oz (1.33 kilos).   24 x 8 cm (approx. 9 ½ x 3 ¼ inches)

It’s not often that one comes across an antique Manipuri singing bowl of this size or quality.  This old bowl has a diameter of 9 ½ inches and weighs just a touch under 3 pounds.  This is undoubtedly a top quality bowl.  The walls are thick, even, and finely hammered, and the lip is generous and deeply grooved.

Surely a bowl of this superb quality would have been sufficiently prized by at least one of its former keepers to leave his or her mark on it?  I could find no evidence of an inscription or signature on the outer wall where one might normally expect one to be.  It was only after close scrutiny under a strong light that I found it…below the rim on the inside…a large finely drawn dot-punched inscription set between two lotus flowers.  Confirmation that this bowl was indeed special and held in high esteem!

And, as one might expect, the quality of sound matches the quality of construction.  The struck note is a lovely low third octave F# that is very close to concert pitch.  The rim note is the same F#3 if played with a suede ringer, but it changes to a fifth octave C if a wooden one is used.  This bowl also has a little talking and fountain ability.

This handsome bowl is in excellent structural condition.  It has a bright golden bronze colour and is clean and blemish free inside and out.

A Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion, a small padded striker, and a double-ended teak and suede ringer are all included in the price.

A fabulous antique bowl that would grace any collection!

{audio}manipuri1330.mp3{/audio}

Listen: (2 struck notes and 1 played note)

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