My Rarest, Largest, Lowest Note, Perfect Pitch, Antique Singing Bowl – Self-Amplifying & Inscribed

This incredible antique singing bowl is utterly unique, a rare one-of-a-kind that is exceptional in every conceivable way…character, size, shape, condition, and sound!  It is an incomparable treasure with multiple extraordinary and distinctive attributes…including a very rare low perfect pitch 1st octave voice!  I have little doubt that this is an important ceremonial or temple bowl, perhaps with a unique purpose to be struck or played on special occasions.

PROVENANCE: This extraordinary bowl is believed to date from the early 1800s and was sourced in the Indian Himalayas, but its precise origin is unknown.  An inscription on the outer wall, close to the rim, is in a language that I have been unable to identify or have translated.  Short inscriptions are usually the name of the bowl’s commissioning owner, while longer ones are normally dedications to a deity or temple.  They always signify a bowl’s importance and the high esteem in which it was held by a former keeper.  Inscriptions add both interest and value to a bowl.  

SHAPE, SIZE & WEIGHT: This wonderful bowl has been expertly hand-forged and beaten into shape from a bronze alloy.  It has a graceful and  extraordinary inverted cone-like shape that I have only seen once before, in a much smaller antique Lingam bowl.  Its 16 inch diameter and flat 7 inch base make it one of the largest antique singing bowls I have personally encountered in nearly 50 years of collecting.  Two parallel lines encircling the outer rim are its only decorative feature.  Despite weighing almost 4 kilos its exceptionally fine walls make it relatively light for its size.

VOICE:  This majestic bowl is very heavy and needs to be placed on a mat or cushion for striking or playing.  It has an incredibly deep and hauntingly beautiful low voice….a rare and sought-after 1st Octave note…one of only three 1st octave antique bowls I have come across in my entire life!  Furthermore, its unique conical shape appears to amplify the sound.  The fundamental note is a fabulous low Perfect Pitch B1 (62Hz) when struck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a heavy suede ringer.   When played with a lighter suede ringer the rim note evolves into a wonderfully powerful and penetrating third octave Bb3 (235Hz).  Both notes will play together if the bowl is first struck and then played.  Other subtle harmonics are fleetingly present.  This bowl has masses of vibrant energy, and with a little practice, it is capable of producing the low OM sound favored by Buddhists and other practitioners.

CONDITION:  This bowl is in excellent condition, clean and stain free, and structurally sound.  Apart from some shallow pitting inside its exceptional state of preservation is a reflection of the care bestowed upon it as a venerable high status ond sacred artifact.

SUMMARY:  This wonderful bowl holds pride of place in my collection spanning 50 years, and is undoubtedly one of the rarest and finest antique singing bowls in the world today!   Only now, as I retire in my 80s, do I feel the time is right to pass it on to its next guardian for safe-keeping.  

A Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion, a large padded striker, and two ringers, are all included in the price.

Note: Audio clips coming soon.