Kalian thumbnail 1

Kalian

1650-1700 (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 to cool it through 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 with underglaze cobalt blue and chromium black decoration, against white ground
Brief description
Kalian (water-pipe base), fritware, underglaze-painted in cobalt blue with misfired red and green slip of horizontal bands of flowers and leaves; Iran, 1650-1700.
Physical description
Kalian, or hookah base, decorated with horizontal bands alternating blue Chinese-style scrolling patterns and grey-black carnation spray scrolls.
Style
Production
"Kirman Polychrome"
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 to cool it through 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
425-1878

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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