This huqqa base belongs to a class of metalwares known as 'bidri'. The name derives from the city of Bidar, in present-day Karnataka state, where the technique is supposed to have originated under the Bahmani sultans in the 15th century. Bidri wares are cast from zinc alloy inlaid with silver, as here, or, occasionally, with a golden alloy that contains a high proportion of tin. The characteristic feature of bidri is the black surface that contrasts with the inlaid decoration. The blackening is produced by the temporary application of a mud paste after the inlaying has been completed, which transforms the dull grey of the zinc alloy through a chemical process that has yet to be explained.
This piece was bought by the museum for £2.10s from the 1851 Great Exhibition as 'modern'. Its silver motifs were reproduced in Owen Jones' seminal book The Grammar of Ornament as an example of good Indian design.