Vintage Thai Nipple Gong, 11” Diameter

This slightly scratched, old hand-hammered bronze gong would have been purchased by our mother in Thailand anytime between the late 1960s and the late 1980s. 
 
The raised center is called a ‘nipple’ or ‘boss’. It helps produce a clear tone when struck. The etched lotus flower pattern in the image, common to Thai nipple gongs, was created by etching away the black crust of the gong after crafting. Thai gongs are known for their deep, resonant, long sustaining sound. See the short video attached. 
 
These gongs are used in Thailand to call monks to prayer, to help with meditation, and more commonly now, with sound therapy. Our mother Nancy Chandler, who had a wicked sense of humor, used the gongs as doorbells when she returned to live in the USA, guests forced to figure out how to ‘ring’ them as she had no standard doorbell.
 
This particular gong does has some scratches as shown in photos and could use a cleaning. It comes with a nice dark wood mallet with a colorful ‘head sweater’, as shown in photos.
 
Exterior diameter 11”, interior 10 1/8”
Walls 1 13/16” wide
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.