of bell shaped form, with flaring ridged neck, decorated to body with floral panels alternating with engraved nasta'liq inscription panels within narrow borders of scrolling vine, vertical rows of silver dots in between the panels, to base and shoulder with horizontal rows of silver dots bordering a row of relief-cut diamond shaped motifs, to neck with chevron pattern and narrow floral panels
21 cm. high

Footnotes

The inscriptions comprise a Persian quatrain:
'qalyan be-kaf-e to jelveh-gar migardad, ney dar dahan-e to neyshekar migardad, bar gerd-e rokh-e to dud-e tanbakust, abrist keh bar gerd-e qamar migardad (The qalyan becomes conspicuous in the palm of your hand, the pipe in your mouth becomes sugar cane, around your face is the smoke of tobacco, it is, however, the cloud that goes around the moon.)

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- Islamic and Indian Art

A silver-inlaid alloy Bidri Huqqa Base India, 19th Century

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Oliver White