India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756) / early 1700s
Hookah Base
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Hookah Base as glass (India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756) · early 1700s).
Turquoise five-petaled flowers hang from lime green pedicels.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this glass as Glass with colored enamel and gilding.
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtHookah BaseOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.