The patina of the ceramic chamber is now matt, with obvious wear from use. At the top of the pipe is a centre cone where the opium would be placed and a smaller adjacent hole where a thin metal stem is inserted for inhaling the burning opium. The chamber would have been partially filled with water to cool the smoke before it was inhaled. This is a very original opium pipe, in fact the only one of its kind we have seen to date.
Characteristics
Height: 11cm, 4.3 in
Circumference: 33cm, 13 in
Materials: ceramic, copper
Period: 19th century
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