Catalogue Entry: Base for Water Pipe with Irises

Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises

figure 1

Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises

figure 2

This object is the base for a water pipe (huqqa) with irises (figures 1 and 2), which is a hookah. The entire object uses a decoration called bidri, a type of metal inlay in which the base metal, a zinc alloy, is darkened in a chemical process to highlight the shiny gold color of the floral ornament1. The purpose of the object was to smoke tobacco. Rather than smoking tobacco directly, the hookah was designed in the late 16th century to reduce the potential harm, as the substance was unknown at the time. A small bowl of tobacco was placed over burning coal at the very top of the hookah. In the hookah's base was water that had created steam due to the coals, so when the user inhaled, a much less intense taste of tobacco was created. The use of hookah and tobacco, in general, began to spread throughout India, allowing for different forms to be made to apply to all social classes2. 

           It is estimated that this object was created in the late 17th century. Tobacco reached the Mughal court around 16043 and was widely used around 1620, so the evolution of different hookah bases began to be created. In the mid-17th century, coconut shells were being used as hookah bases, so as the device evolved, it was estimated that the decorated, more prized bases were made in the late 17th century4. Prominently in this time, flower and plant designs were used on hookah bases. Still, moving into the 18th century, Neoclassical motifs such as ancient Roman moldings, friezes, and columns began to be incorporated5.

           This object, the base for a water pipe with irises, was produced in the Deccan region of India and has been a part of four exhibits in its lifetime, all being in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY. Its debut was when this object was displayed for a single day, September 14, 1985, in the exhibit titled "INDIA!"6. This exhibition was comprised of pieces of art from India that were created between the 14th and 19th centuries. The collection was on display for one day due to a nationwide Festival of India jointly organized by the Government of India and the Indo-U.S. Sub-commission on Education and Culture7. The object's second appearance was over ten years later, from November 20, 1997, to March 1, 1998, in the exhibit "Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era"8. While this exhibit focuses on carpets from India, the hookah base was included in the exhibition due to the floral pattern that repeats across the entire object, a design similar to those that appeared on some carpets9. The next appearance of this object was in The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from September 25, 2001, to May 8, 2022, where the exhibition was titled "Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India, "10. This exhibit had about twenty-five objects on display, all made with either gold, silver, bronze, copper, or another metal. Each object had influence from India or the larger Islamic world11. The last exhibition this object was a part of was titled "Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy"12. This exhibit highlighted many additional hookah bases with plant or flower elements, as many were produced in India around the same time. Some examples of these hookah bases are the “Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with Lotuses Emerging from a Pond” (figure 3), “Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with a Meandering Riverside Landscape” (figure 4), and “Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with Poppies Against a Pointillist Ground” (figure 5)13.

Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with Lotuses Emerging from a Pond

figure 3

Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with a Meandering Riverside Landscape

figure 4

Bidri Huqqa (Water Pipe) Base with Poppies against a Pointillist Ground

figure 5

          This object was produced using a process called Bidri, a technique that originated in a city called Bidar in the Deccan region. These types of objects are cast with an alloy, typically zinc, with a mixture of copper, tin, and lead. They are then inlaid or overlaid with silver, bronze, or occasionally gold. This hookah base was inlaid with bronze. Finally, a mud paste containing an ammoniac is applied to the entire object, where the metallic inlay or overlay becomes very prominent due to a chemical reaction. The matte black contrast occurs after the mud is wiped away14.

           This object was made as a way to smoke tobacco, as it was said to be less harmful to one's throat, as it uses steam and indirect heat. Essentially, the base of the hookah is filled with water which is connected to a pipe that reaches all the way to the mouthpiece. At the top of the apparatus before the mouthpiece, a bowl with tobacco or molasses sits covered by tinfoil, then placed with hot coals on top. When the user inhales through the mouthpiece, the smoke passes through the tobacco or molasses, lowers to the bowl of water to get cooled, and then rises slowly to create a flavored smoky steam that is then inhaled15.

           It is unable to be determined who made this object, but we do know that it was made in a city called Bidar in the Deccan region of India in the late 17th century16.

           Our group chose the topic of coffeehouses, as these places were a large part of the community around the time my object was made, in the 17th century. In the early 17th century, tobacco, a companion to coffee, became extremely popular, as tobacco emerged at the turn of the 17th century. At this time, people described the smoke in coffeehouses as so thick that it was hard to see through it17. Even though the hookah is quite bulky, it is perfect for places with a relaxing aesthetic, such as coffeehouses or bathhouses. These types of venues are already a natural environment for people to meet up to discuss business or to catch up, and since the hookah is an object that is great for sharing, the two made perfect sense together. Additionally, as the hookah grew in popularity, employees of these types of venues began to have to replenish coal and tobacco so that people could continue to smoke18. Because hookahs were a large part of coffeehouses during this time, it would be fitting to find a unique object, such as the hookah base with irises to focus on for this assignment.

           Many communities in the Middle East smoke from hookahs. Younger people often smoke after school as a form of relieving stress, as the hobby is not all that expensive in comparison to clubbing or partying in other ways19. As stated previously, smoking from a hookah is a very sedentary activity, so it often goes hand in hand with business meetings or simple coffee chats20. It is estimated that a smoking session typically lasts from 20 to 80 minutes, depending on several things, including the number of people present. People would simply gather around the hookah, passing around the hose, and discuss things with one another. This type of activity was known for creating a sense of community in these environments21.

 

  1. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises.” Metmuseum.org. Accessed November 13, 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/453243?ao=on&%3Bft=islamic%2Bwater%2Bpipe&%3Boffset=0&%3Brpp=40&%3Bpos=1.

  2. Cecily S. Ray, “The Hookah – the Indian Waterpipe.” Current Science 96 (10): 1319–23. 2009. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24105369.

  3. Stuart Cary Welch, The Islamic World. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Bradford D. Kelleher.1987. Page 152 https://books.google.com/books?id=vDngi07cYKcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.

  4. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  5. Maryam Ekhtiar, “Art of the Early Caliphates (7th-10th Centuries).” In Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, edited by Maryam Ektihar et al 20-24. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011.

  6. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  7. Barbara File, “Today in Met History: September 14.” Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ney York, September 14, 2010. https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/features/2010/today-in-met-history-september-14.

  8. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  9. Daniel S Walker, “The Carpets.” Essay. In Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era, edited by Teresa Egan, 118. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.

  10. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  11. “Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India.” Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2001/courtly-radiance.

  12. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  13. Navina Najat Haidar, and Marika Sardar. “Bidar.” Essay. In Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700 Opulence and Fantasy, 186–88. Ney York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.

  14. Stuart Cary Welch, India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900. New York City, NY: New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Holt, RinehArt and Winston. Page 322. 1985. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/79887.

  15. Rashid Gatrad, Adam Gatrad, and Aziz Sheikh. “Hookah Smoking.” BMJ. British Medical Journal Publishing Group, July 5, 2007. https://www.bmj.com/content/335/7609/20.short.

  16. “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises”

  17. Cemal Kafadar, “A history of coffee." In The XIIIth Congress of the International Economic History Association (IEHA), Buenos Aires, 22-26. July 2002.

  18. James Grehan, “Smoking and ‘Early Modern’ Sociability: The Great Tobacco Debate in the Ottoman Middle East (Seventeenth to Eighteenth Centuries).” The American Historical Review 111 (5): 1352–77. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.111.5.1352.

  19. Zara Syed, “Hookah: Myth and Reality.” Islamic Insights, April 17, 2017. https://www.islamicinsights.com/news/community/hookah-myth-and-reality.html.

  20. Grehan, The American Historical Review 111 (5): 1352–77

  21. Syed, “Hookah: Myth and Reality.”

Bibliography

Ekhtiar, Maryam. “Art of the Early Caliphates (7th-10th Centuries).” In Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, edited by Maryam Ektihar et al 20-24. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011.

File, Barbara. “Today in Met History: September 14.” Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ney York, September 14, 2010. https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/features/2010/today-in-met-history-september-14.

Gatrad, Rashid, Adam Gatrad, and Aziz Sheikh. “Hookah Smoking.” BMJ. British Medical Journal Publishing Group, July 5, 2007. https://www.bmj.com/content/335/7609/20.short.

Grehan, James. “Smoking and ‘Early Modern’ Sociability: The Great Tobacco Debate in the Ottoman Middle East (Seventeenth to Eighteenth Centuries).” The American Historical Review 111 (5): 1352–77. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.111.5.1352.

Haidar, Navina Najat, and Marika Sardar. “Bidar.” Essay. In Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700 Opulence and Fantasy, 186–88. Ney York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.

Kafadar, Cemal. "A history of coffee." In The XIIIth Congress of the International Economic History Association (IEHA), Buenos Aires, 22-26. July 2002.

Ray, Cecily S. “The Hookah – the Indian Waterpipe.” Current Science 96 (10): 1319–23. 2009. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24105369.

Syed, Zara “Hookah: Myth and Reality.” Islamic Insights, April 17, 2017. https://www.islamicinsights.com/news/community/hookah-myth-and-reality.html.

The Met, “Base for a Water Pipe (Huqqa) with Irises.” Metmuseum.org. Accessed November 13, 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/453243?ao=on&%3Bft=islamic%2Bwater%2Bpipe&%3Boffset=0&%3Brpp=40&%3Bpos=1.

The Met, “Courtly Radiance: Metalwork from Islamic India.” Metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2001/courtly-radiance.

Walker, Daniel S. “The Carpets.” Essay. In Flowers Underfoot: Indian Carpets of the Mughal Era, edited by Teresa Egan, 118. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.

Welch, Stuart Cary. The Islamic World. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Bradford D. Kelleher.1987. Page 152 https://books.google.com/books?id=vDngi07cYKcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Welch, Stuart Cary. India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900. New York City, NY: New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Holt, RinehArt and Winston. Page 322. 1985. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/79887.

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