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Source Description
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
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
144663
label
Hookah Bowl
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
144663
contentType
object
title
Hookah Bowl
description
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
date
1700s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79922134
genreSpecific
Glass
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.)
cul
India, Mughal
accession
1969.287
Source extras
tec
glass
tombstone
Hookah Bowl, 1700s. India, Mughal. Glass; overall: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection, 1969.287
collection
Indian Art
inscriptions
inscription
Inscription in Farsi, on body:
Even if live charcoal is placed on its head/
The hookah, a teacher of etiquette,/
will not respond unless drawn upon;/
Thus one can learn from its manners of refinement.
inscription
Inscription in Farsi, on shoulder:
In the name of Allah the clement and merciful is the key to the wise treasure.
didYouKnow
Around the top of this hookah bowl are incised the opening two lines from the<em> Khamsa (Quintet) </em>of the celebrated Persian poet Nizami (1141–1209).
citations
citation
Carboni, Stefano, and David Whitehouse. <em>Glass of the Sultans</em>. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 136, pp. 282-283
citation
Desjardins, Tara. <em>Mughal Glass: A History of Glassmaking in India.</em> New Delhi: Roli Books, 2024.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 148-149, no. 62
creditline
The Norweb Collection
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:26:15.347000
sourceId
144663
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Indian Art
med
glass
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
407099331f9a8a8a