Kalian thumbnail 1
Kalian thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Kalian

1650-1700 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ceramic vessel is the base of water-pipe for smoking tobacco, known as a "kalian". The fashion for smoking tobacco in Iran became fashionable in the 17th century. This base contained water and was fitted with two long metal pipes, one to a cup holding burning tobacco and the other a mouthpiece; the smoke from the tobacco was drawn through the water to cool it. These are also known as hookah, huqqa, qalian, qalyan, qaliyan, narghile, shisha and hubble-bubble.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Fritware, painted in green and red slip and underglaze blue
Brief description
Kalian (water-pipe base), fritware, underglaze-painted with flowers, birds and deer in green and red slip and cobalt blue; Iran, 1650-1700.
Physical description
Kalian, or hookah base, decorated around the body with green landscape with red deer, alternating with blue lotus sprays with red and green birds
Dimensions
  • Height: 30.5cm
  • Diameter: 20.3cm
Style
Production
"Kirman Polychrome"
Subjects depicted
Summary
This ceramic vessel is the base of water-pipe for smoking tobacco, known as a "kalian". The fashion for smoking tobacco in Iran became fashionable in the 17th century. This base contained water and was fitted with two long metal pipes, one to a cup holding burning tobacco and the other a mouthpiece; the smoke from the tobacco was drawn through the water to cool it. These are also known as hookah, huqqa, qalian, qalyan, qaliyan, narghile, shisha and hubble-bubble.
Collection
Accession number
611-1889

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Record createdApril 8, 2009
Record URL
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