Water Pipe Top
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Zinc alloy; cast, engraved, inlaid with brass (bidri ware)
Dimensions
H. 7 13/16 in. (19.8 cm) W. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm) Diam. 3 in. (7.6 cm) Wt. 8.4 oz. (238.163 g)
Classification
Metal
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
Accession Number
91.1.577
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite **Water Pipe Top**, crafted in the 19th by an unknown artist, exemplifies the refined artistry of bidri ware distinctive metalworking tradition from the Deccan region India, often linked to Islamic patronage. Made from a zinc alloy, the piece measures just 7 13/16 inches high and weighs a mere 8.4 ounces, yet it served a practical purpose as the mouthpiece or top of a hookah (water pipe), a common smoking accessory in South Asian and Ottoman cultures. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department (Edward C. Moore Collection, 1891), it highlights the fusion of...