Hookah Bowl 1700s India, Mughal Glass Overall: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.) The Norweb Collection 1969.287 DESCRIPTION The appreciation of poetic allusions while enjoying a hookah was part of the culture of pleasure at courtly gatherings throughout Mughal India. Around the top of this hookah bowl are incised the opening two lines from the Khamsa (Quintet) of the celebrated Persian poet Nizami (1141–1209). The four verses incised around the body of the bowl are excerpts from the poetically embellished definition of the word hoqqa in an Arabic dictionary compiled in the 1700s. The verses personify the hookah as a long-suffering servant who does not protest even when burning embers are placed on his head. INSCRIPTION in Farsi, on body: Translation of inscription: Even if live charcoal is placed on its head The hookah, a teacher of etiquette, will not respond unless drawn upon; Thus one can learn from its manners of refinement. in Farsi, on shoulder: Translation of inscription: In the name of Allah the clement and merciful is the key to the wise treasure. PROVENANCE ?-1969 Mrs. R. Henry [Emery May Holden] Norweb [1895-1984], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1969- The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH CITATIONS Carboni, Stefano, and David Whitehouse. Glass of the Sultans. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. Reproduced: cat. no. 136, pp. 282-283 EXHIBITION HISTORY Glass of the Sultans. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY (May 24-September 3, 2001); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (October 2, 2001-January 13, 2002); Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (February 20-May 15, 2002). Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).