Kalian thumbnail 1

Kalian

17th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ceramic vessel is a ‘kalian’ or base for a water-pipe used in the newly introduced practice of smoking tobacco. It held the water through which the smoke was drawn in order to cool it using a long flexible tube connected to a container through two holes. They are also known as a hookah, huqqa, qalian, qalyan, qaliyan, narghile, shisha, and a hubble-bubble.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Fritware, painted, glazed
Brief description
Kalian (water-pipe base), fritware, celadon ground with white painted designs; Iran, 1640-70.
Physical description
Kalian or the base of a hookah or waterpipe, fritware, of pear shape with flaring knopped neck, and opening on the shoulder, covered in a celadon wash and painted with white slip with flowers and arabesques, under a clear glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29.8cm
  • Diameter: 20.6cm
Style
Subjects depicted
Summary
This ceramic vessel is a ‘kalian’ or base for a water-pipe used in the newly introduced practice of smoking tobacco. It held the water through which the smoke was drawn in order to cool it using a long flexible tube connected to a container through two holes. They are also known as a hookah, huqqa, qalian, qalyan, qaliyan, narghile, shisha, and a hubble-bubble.
Collection
Accession number
2508-1876

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Record createdFebruary 17, 2009
Record URL
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