This huqqa, or ‘hubble-bubble’, has been cast from an alloy found only in India, in which zinc is combined with small amounts of lead, copper or tin. It is known as ‘bidri’ ware, taking its name from Bidar, the city in the Deccan, central India, where the technique is thought to have originated, perhaps in the 15th century, though surviving objects do not predate the late 16th century. The finest examples are inlaid with silver and a golden, high-zinc brass, as here. After the completion of the inlaying, a mud paste is briefly applied to the surface, and this changes the natural dull grey of the alloy to a rich matt black. The exact means by which this change is effected is still not known.