Indian Singing Bowl

A heavy, dark-flecked bowl with a speckled patina and a stout round body.

This singing bowl is from Bengal, Odisha, India, and dates to the 20th century. It is alloy folded metal. Bowls of this kind are traditionally made from a bronze-like alloy of several metals, and the exact mixture affects the sound. A deep, wide bowl with straight, rounded sides and a thick, plain rim. The surface is a dusty olive-brown with a mottled, freckled patina, and faint horizontal marks circle the body. The inside has a duller sheen. It is 3.5 inches high and 7.5 in diameter.

It wears its freckles with a certain solemn pride.