This object was purchased by the India Museum at the Paris Exhibition of 1867 and transferred to the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) in 1879. Hamilton & Co., which manufactured it in Calcutta, was founded in Edinburgh in 1808 and traded continuously until 30 June 1970. The huqqa, or ‘hubble bubble’ (smoking pipe), is a fine example of bidri ware, which is made by casting zinc alloyed with small amounts of lead, copper or tin. This forms a base for designs inlaid in silver. The name relates to Bidar, the city in central India most widely associated with the technique, which is unique to India.
The base and stand of this example are inlaid with a silver flower motif and silver mounts. The stem screws into the top of the base and is a hybrid of Indian and high Victorian taste, with naturalistic lotus flowers twining round the central stem. The tobacco bowl and cover are made of separately cast pieces decorated with a lotus pattern in low relief.
Physical description
Huqqa with Indian metal design (bidri) work base and stand, with applied silver flowers around base. Stem, 'chilam' and 'sarpush' in silver, in the form of a flower stem, with naturalistic lotus flowers and leaves twined around it.
Place of Origin
Calcutta, India (made)
Date
1860s (made)
Artist/maker
Hamilton & Co. (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Blackened zinc alloy overlaid with silver (bidri)
Marks and inscriptions
Pseudo-assay marks of an elephant and 'P' in Bengali script on the cover of the 'chilim' (tobacco bowl).
[Huqqa part] Maker's mark of Hamilton & Co.
Dimensions
Height: 85 cm, Diameter: 50 cm maximum
Object history note
This flamboyant water pipe was almost certainly made for the 1867 Paris exhibition. It is a hybrid of Indian and high Victorian taste.
Historical context note
A few Europeans smoked huqqas as late as the 1860s although it was becoming less socially acceptable in English circles.
Descriptive line
Huqqa of silver and silver inlaid bidri work, with stem entwined with lotus flowers, Hamilton & Co., Calcutta, 1860s.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Swallow, Deborah and John Guy eds. Arts of India: 1550-1900. text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : V&A Publications, 1990. 240 p., ill. ISBN 1851770224, p.217, pl.192 Skelton, Robert and Mark Francis eds., Arts of Bengal, text by Robert Skelton, John Lowry, Andrew Topsfield, Veronica Murphy and Susan Stronge, London: Whitechapel Art Gallery 1979, no.207, p.72. ISBN 0 85488 047 X Stronge, Susan, Bidri ware inlaid metalwork from India, London: Victoria and Albert Museum 1985, no.65, pp.78-80. ISBN 0 905209 63 X
Huqqa
The 'sarpush' stamped with the makers' mark of Hamilton and Co., Calcutta of the 1860s Base and stand: silver inlaid 'bidri' work. Stem, 'chilim', 'sarpush' and applied decoration to the stand: silver.
85cm high/ 50cm max. diameter
The firm of Hamilton and Company was working in Calcutta 1815 to 1970, though little is known about their products and scale of manufacture. The firm's mark is accompanied by a pseudo-assay mark of an elephant to imitate the British assay marks, and another mark ('P' in Bengali script) which may be that of a native workman. The pseudo-assay mark was not intended to mean that the purity of the silver met the standards of English assay offices but rather to suggest quality. The mark appears to belong to the 1860s, which would agree with the old India Museum records which state that this was acquired from the Paris Exhibition of 1867. The catalogue of Indian objects sent to this exhibition is too vague and incomplete to identify individual pieces. Something as flamboyant as this would almost certainly have been made as a showpiece for the exhibition. It is not clear where the 'bidri' base and stand were manufactured, the pattern of the inlay not being consistent with known Purnea or Murshidabad pieces, but Purnea did have an export trade in 'bidri'. However, the shape of the base is unusual and it may hve been commissioned by Hamilton's.
See Wilkinson [1973], pp.53-71.
Exhibition History
Arts of Bengal (Whitechapel Art Gallery 30/12/1979-30/09/2011)
Associated Events
Paris Exhibition, 1867
Production Note
Letter 'P' in Bengali script close to the pseudo-assay marks denotes the name of the craftsman.
Materials
Silver; Alloy; Bidri
Techniques
Inlay; Inlaid
Categories
Metalwork; Entertainment & Leisure
Collection code
SSEA
