ticketsMember | Make a donation

Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises

late 17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 463
This huqqa base, with irises and other flowers, would have originally been fitted with a long stem supporting a brazier and a pipe through which the smoker would have inhaled.

Many of the known examples of Indian huqqa bases from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were made in the Deccan region and decorated with the type of metal inlay known as bidri, in which the base metal (a zinc alloy) of the object is darkened through a chemical process to highlight the sheen of the inlaid metal of the floral ornament.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises
  • Date: late 17th century
  • Geography: Made in India, Deccan, Bidar
  • Medium: Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with brass (bidri ware)
  • Dimensions: H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
    Diam. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
  • Classification: Metal
  • Credit Line: Louis E. and Theresa S. Seley Purchase Fund for Islamic Art and Rogers Fund, 1984
  • Object Number: 1984.221
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Dagger with Zoomorphic Hilt, Hilt: copper; cast, chased, gilded, and inlaid with rubies.<br/>Blade: steel; forged
Dagger with Zoomorphic Hilt
second half 16th century
Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Poetry and Flowers, Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with silver and brass (bidri ware)
Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Poetry and Flowers
early 18th century
The House of Bijapur, Kamal Muhammad, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
The House of Bijapur
Kamal Muhammad
Chand Muhammad
ca. 1680
Garden Fountain, Brass; cast in sections, joined and engraved
Garden Fountain
early 17th century
Pilgrim Flask, Brass; cast
Pilgrim Flask
early 17th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 8

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.