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Indian Bidriware Vase "Hookah Base"

Description
This fine Indian Bidriware vase, formerly a water pipe or hookah (huqqa) base, has a globular body decorated with a chevron pattern. This huqqa base would have originally been fitted with a long stem supporting a brazier and a pipe through which smoke would have been inhaled. Bidriware originated in Bidar, India in the 14th century, when an artisan from Iran, Abdullah bin Kaiser, was invited by the Bahamani Sultan to decorate royal palaces. He developed the technique with local craftsmen that gave birth to Bidriware, which became an important export art form prized as a symbol of wealth. Similarly shaped and decorated examples of early Bidriware huqqas are in the collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Origin:	India
Period:	Pre 18th Century
Materials:	Zinc.
Condition:	Good. Good antique condition, with losses to the inlay and an old repair to the base of the metal surface. Wear consistent with age and use.
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	339276