The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses

Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses

c. 1650s
Zinc alloy with silver and brass inlay
Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); height: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2020.207
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Bidri ware is cast from condensed vapors of zinc mined from Sawar in Rajasthan.

Description

Hookah bowls were used for the enjoyment of tobacco or any other smoked substance during moments of relaxation. They were also aesthetic objects to be admired in elite gatherings of connoisseurs. The flowering rose bushes on this fine early example, made shortly after the introduction of tobacco-smoking in India, would have called to mind celebrated poetical works, such as the Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (Persian, 1210–1291 or 1292).
  • 1968-1999
    Dr. Mark Zebrowski [1945-1999], London, UK, by descent to his partner John Robert Alderman
    1999-2020
    (John Robert Alderman, London, UK, consigned to Francesca Galloway, Ltd. for sale)
    2020
    (Francesca Galloway, Ltd., London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2020-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Festival of India in the United States, 1985-1986. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1985. p. 77
    Desai, Vishakha N., B. N. Goswamy, and Ainslie Thomas Embree. Life at Court: Art for India's Rulers, 16th-19th Centuries. Boston, Mass: Museum of Fine Arts, 1985. pp. 144-145
    Zebrowski, Mark. Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India. London: Alexandria Press in association with Laurence King, 1997. Reproduced: pp. 233, 235, and color plate 502
  • Life and Exploits of Krishna in Indian Paintings (Indian art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2021-February 6, 2022).
    Life at court: art for India's rulers, 16th-19th centuries. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (November 20, 1985-February 9, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses|url=false|author=|year=c. 1650s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.207