Not currently on display at the V&A

Huqqa Mouthpiece

Place of origin

The huqqa, a water pipe, was used at the Mughal court to smoke tobacco. Tobacco was introduced to India by the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century and is thought to have first been brought to the Mughal empire in 1604, by the emissary Asad Beg. This mouthpiece would have been used to inhale smoke drawn from a water bowl, or huqqa base, via a long flexible tube. It has been fashioned in nephrite jade, imported from Xinjiang, and the material was used to make artefacts for the elite of the Mughal court from the early seventeenth century. The mouthpiece was acquired in India by William Tayler and sold to the museum by him in 1874.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Greyish green nephrite jade, fashioned using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools,
Brief description
Huqqa mouthpiece, greyish green nephrite jade, waisted, carved leaf decoration, Mughal empire
Physical description
A gently tapering huqqa mouthpiece fashioned in greyish green nephrite jade, with a round cross-section and a waisted constriction approximately one fifth along the length from the broad end. The shorter length has a wide bore for attachment to the huqqa's pipe and it has been decorated with leaves, carved in low relief. The longer section has a narrow hole drilled down its length and it has been decorated with leaf fronds, carved in low relief.
Dimensions
  • Length: 67.1mm (Note: Overall length)
  • Length: 14.8mm (Note: Length of the shorter section from the end to the waist)
  • Diameter: 17.7 to 18.5mm (Note: External diameter range of the shorter section, at the end)
  • Diameter: 12.8 to 13.3mm (Note: Internal diameter range of the shorter section, at the end)
  • Diameter: 18.5 to 19.0mm (Note: External diameter range, at the narrow end)
Object history
This huqqa mouthpiece was acquired by William Tayler during his time in India (1829-1867). He subsequently sold it to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed the Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1874 for the sum of £1-5-0.

William Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia.
He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867.
He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India, in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum".
Summary
The huqqa, a water pipe, was used at the Mughal court to smoke tobacco. Tobacco was introduced to India by the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century and is thought to have first been brought to the Mughal empire in 1604, by the emissary Asad Beg. This mouthpiece would have been used to inhale smoke drawn from a water bowl, or huqqa base, via a long flexible tube. It has been fashioned in nephrite jade, imported from Xinjiang, and the material was used to make artefacts for the elite of the Mughal court from the early seventeenth century. The mouthpiece was acquired in India by William Tayler and sold to the museum by him in 1874.
Collection
Accession number
711-1874

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
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