Bidri hookah bowl with roses, about the 1650s

Overview

This Bidri hookah bowl combines a zinc-alloy body with silver and brass inlay. Cleveland attributes it to Bidar around the 1650s and describes such smoking vessels as display objects at elite gatherings, connecting its roses with Persian poetry.

Recorded ownership runs from Mark Zebrowski through John Robert Alderman and Francesca Galloway to Cleveland in 2020; the maker is unrecorded.

History & identity

Maker unrecorded.

Sources & representation

Complete institutional record and native photograph.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Cleveland Museum of Art online catalogue: Bidri Hookah Bowl with Roses (2020.207)

   Cleveland Museum of Art

   Undated online record; manufacture date and catalogue update timestamps are separate.

Language & cultural connections

Source-supported language and cultural connections have not yet been compiled for this profile.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary institutional object recordBidri Hookah Bowl with Roses — Cleveland Museum of Art 2020.207Research access: 2026-10-21

Image credits

AI-generated object interpretation.