Collection record · Objects & craft
Hookah Base
The collection record classifies this work as glass. It is dated early 1700s. Recorded culture or place: India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756).
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Hookah Base
- Date
- early 1700s
- Culture / origin
- India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756)
- Materials and technique
- Glass with colored enamel and gilding
- Dimensions
- Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1969.286
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 jewel-like decoration of blue and green blossoms evokes a garden in which a smoker might have sat.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · The Norweb Collection · 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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