Base for a Water Pipe (hookah)

Luxuriant plants, elegant architecture, and charming animals grace this silver-inlaid water pipe base. The complicated techniques used to produce such sumptuous objects were developed by expert artisans in the Islamic kingdoms of south central India. The tradition was called Bidri ware after the city of Bidar in the area. Bidri water pipe bases were probably first produced shortly after tobacco was introduced into India by Portuguese traders in the late sixteenth century.

The pavilions seen here recall chini khanas, or “china rooms,” popular architectural features during the Mughal period in north India (1526–1858). Their multiple niches were used to display objects such as Chinese porcelains, which were highly prized at South Asian courts.