id:			387679
accession number:	2020.207
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2020.207
updated:		2022-02-07 23:28:02.565000

Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses, c. 1650s. Southwestern India, Deccan, Karnataka, Bidar​. Zinc alloy with silver and brass inlay; diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); height: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2020.207

title:				Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1650s
creation date earliest:		1640
creation date latest:		1660
current location:		
creditline:			Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Southwestern India, Deccan, Karnataka, Bidar​
technique:	Zinc alloy with silver and brass inlay
department:	Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection:	Indian Art
type:		Metalwork
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Diameter: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.); height: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Life and Exploits of Krishna in Indian Paintings (Indian art rotation)
	opening date:   2021-09-01T04:00:00
	<i>Life and Exploits of Krishna in Indian Paintings (Indian art rotation)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2021-February 6, 2022).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* <em>Life at court: art for India's rulers, 16th-19th centuries. </em>Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (November 20, 1985-February 9, 1986).

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PROVENANCE

	Dr. Mark Zebrowski [1945-1999], London, UK, by descent to his partner John Robert Alderman
	date: 1968-1999
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	(John Robert Alderman, London, UK, consigned to Francesca Galloway, Ltd. for sale)
	date: 1999-2020
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	(Francesca Galloway, Ltd., London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
	date: 2020
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 2020-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
Bidri ware is cast from condensed vapors of zinc mined from Sawar in Rajasthan.

digital description: 
Hookah bowls were used for the enjoyment of tobacco or any other smoked substance during moments of relaxation. They were also aesthetic objects to be admired in elite gatherings of connoisseurs. The flowering rose bushes on this fine early example, made shortly after the introduction of tobacco-smoking in India, would have called to mind celebrated poetical works, such as the <em>Gulistan </em>(Rose Garden) of Sa'di (Persian, 1210–1291 or 1292).

wall description: 
Hookah bowls hold water, often infused with flowers or spices, to cool tobacco or other smoke, thereby elevating the enjoyment. A metal or cloth pipe was once inserted over the mouth of the bowl.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	<em>Festival of India in the United States, 1985-1986</em>. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1985.
	page number: 	p. 77
	url:		

	Desai, Vishakha N., B. N. Goswamy, and Ainslie Thomas Embree. <em>Life at Court: Art for India's Rulers, 16th-19th Centuries</em>. Boston, Mass: Museum of Fine Arts, 1985.
	page number: 	pp. 144-145
	url:		

	Zebrowski, Mark. <em>Gold, Silver &amp; Bronze from Mughal India</em>. London: Alexandria Press in association with Laurence King, 1997.
	page number: 	Reproduced: pp. 233, 235, and color plate 502
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2020.207/2020.207_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2020.207/2020.207_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2020.207/2020.207_full.tif