Collection record · Objects & craft
Hookah Base
The collection record classifies this work as glass. It is dated c. 1750. Recorded culture or place: Mughal India, possibly Lucknow.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Hookah Base
- Date
- c. 1750
- Culture / origin
- Mughal India, possibly Lucknow
- Materials and technique
- gold on blue glass
- Dimensions
- Overall: 19.8 cm (7 13/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1961.44
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
Smoking tobacco was introduced to the Mughal court from Iran in the very early 1600s and soon became popular. This base formed part of a hookah, or water pipe, which consisted of a base that held water—sometimes perfumed with herbs or fresh fruit—a detachable bowl to hold tobacco, and a long tube. Early hookahs used existing vessels for bases, including coconut shells. By the late 1600s or early 1700s, richly decorated pieces like this were produced. The striking gold poppies on a cobalt blue background might indicate that opium was used in the hookah.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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