Rare and Unique Antique Shaman Bowl – A4 (450Hz)

Antique Shaman Singing Bowl.   A4 (Third Eye Chakra)

Weight 0 lb 14 oz. (400 grams).   Size 14 x 4.5 cm (5½ x 1¾ inches)

It’s hard to know how best to describe this little bowl beyond its unique shape and the fact that my expert Tibetan source confidently described it as a Shaman Bowl. 

It certainly looks and feels different from the other bowls in our collection, and its flat bottom and low profile suggest a function over and above singing.  Its flanged rim feels very comfortable against one’s lip for example, but this is much more than a drinking vessel.

This bowl has quite thick walls for its size and is beautifully forged.  It has an unusually low and interesting profile, with a flanged lip (once grooved) that slopes down slightly towards the outer rim.  The middle of the floor is ever so slightly mounded, and there are some tiny raised copper or gold spots in the centre that could be impurities in the original metal mix, but may have been added later.  There is even a possibility of them forming an inscription, but I simply can’t say.  There are also some random spots of a similar colour on the underside.  It is structurally sound, and has a beautiful deep bronze colour with the patina of use and age.

This bowl has a nice voice too…a middle octave A with a frequency of around 450 Hz.  The note is the same whether struck or played around the rim with a wooden ringer, but a sixth octave E harmonic is also sometimes present.  A ringer is included in the price.

This small antique bowl will undoubtedly appeal to collectors of rare and unusual bowl forms, and I don’t expect to have it long.

{audio}uthado400.mp3{/audio}

Listen: (3 struck notes and 2 played notes)