Attractive & Unusual Low Globular Antique Singing Bowl – G#3 & D5

This is an unusual and attractive 19th century singing bowl with a third octave G#3 (202Hz) fundamental when struck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a suede ringer.  The rim note changes to a fifth octave D5 (573Hz) with a wooden ringer.

It has a low slightly-globular shape, with a sheered lip and very rounded bottom.  It will actually spin on its base.  There is a single decorative line encircling the outer rim, but any other  decorative features it might once have had, including circles at its centre, have been worn away with handling and ritual cleaning over the years, leaving the surfaces smooth.

However, there is one very unusual feature still in evidence…a series of ritual gashes around the inner rim, which would normally be found on the outer wall, if at all.  Their exact purpose in unknown, but I suspect they have something to do with the bowl’s initiation shortly after its manufacture.  They are quite commonly found on antique Manipuri and Thadobati singing bowls.

This interesting old bowl is in good condition for its age, basically clean and stain-free, with an aged patina.

A Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion and a ringer are included in the price.