Description
This impressive hookah mouthpiece is carved from polished green bloodstone and fitted with finely engraved gold mounts. The gold fittings are deeply and precisely engraved with Rococo-style decoration comprising scrolling leaves and floral motifs. The lower and larger gold ring is additionally decorated with distinctive thistle-head motifs.
The style of the decoration reflects the influence of Western botanical ornament, suggesting the hand of a European—possibly Scottish—goldsmith working in India during the nineteenth century, most likely in Madras or Calcutta. The presence of thistle motifs is particularly evocative of Scottish cultural heritage and strengthens this attribution.
Overall, the object showcases a refined fusion of Indian craftsmanship and European decorative vocabulary. This rare and elegant mouthpiece stands as a testament to cross-cultural artistic exchange in colonial India during the 19th century and would constitute an exceptional addition to any collection of Mughal or colonial-period artefacts.
