Around the 16th century, the singing bowls went through a major change. A new construction method was introduced from Southeast Asia. The earlier folded method that had persisted for several centuries was phased out. During this period we see transitional and holdovers still using the older methods.
One such transitional type of bowl are what I call the flared rim bowls, with their characteristic out turned rim. You can look at the 14 flared bowls in the Museum collection to see the evolution of bowl construction. Early versions of the flared bowls feature folding, as I point out in the individual bowl descriptions. Item number M134 is a good example of an early flared bowl with the full folding method in use. M110 is a great example of a later version made much thinner with no folding.
With this one type of bowl, we can see the transition from the old methods to the new. The early methods, inherited from ancient Persia and Khorasan, are now lost and have not been reproduced for centuries. The later methods are still in practice today. The two distinct phases of singing bowl construction is one of the main factors helping me to determine the age of many singing bowls.
The metallurgical discovery that divides the singing bowls between early and late periods is crucial to the historical understanding and creating an accurate timeline for the bowls. The flared bowls help as they are a clear demarcation point in the timeline.
We see both early and late versions, occurring at the right time in history. Multiple factors like construction, decoration, oxidation and physical wear all line up to support the historical analysis. Each piece of evidence corroborates the others, so we have a high degree of certainty.
Here in the flared bowls we can see it clearly. There are early, middle and late versions. The early versions were made by folding. The early and middle versions were highly decorated. The middle versions retained some thickness but the folding was modified to an inward fold. By the late versions, there is no folding.
These changes in construction are played out over multiple types of bowls and help place each on the timeline. Other factors like oxidation also repeat, with earlier versions having heavier oxidation. Later bowls never show crusty oxidation.
As I discuss in other articles and in The Singing Bowl Book, all of these clues have helped me create the singing bowl history. By combining the metallurgical analysis with construction methods, decoration and other clues, we now have a clear picture of how the bowls evolved.
It should be noted that other types of bowls have a flared lip. The bowls I refer to are always between 4"-8" in diameter in a modified thado bati style. I do not include the larger ultabati which also have a flared lip. Ultabati are actually a vessel for making an alcoholic drink called chang. They are not singing bowls.
Take a look at these photos to see what I mean. I always welcome and value your comments. Please sign up for the mailing list to receive news and updates.
An early flared bowl, made with an outward folded rim
A transitional flared bowl with a slightly inward folded rim
A late period flared singing bowl, thinner with no fold at the rim
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