Collection record · Everyday wonders
Hookah Bowl
The collection record classifies this work as glass. It is dated 1700s. Recorded culture or place: India, Mughal.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Hookah Bowl
- Date
- 1700s
- Culture / origin
- India, Mughal
- Materials and technique
- glass
- Dimensions
- Overall: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1969.287
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The inscription around the body of the base speaks to the use of the hookah in the decadent life of the Mughal court. The hookah is commended for being a proper, refined servant who will not “respond unless drawn upon” or, produce water bubbles when smoke is drawn through the hose. Undoubtedly the witty, poetic allusions would have been appreciated at banquets and other courtly gatherings. The use of wheel-cut glass for this hookah base may have been influenced by English glass and lead crystal that was exported to India
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
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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