The huqqa (or hookah) is composed of a slightly flared bell-shaped base with a ribbed cylindrical stem. This is surmounted by a mushroom-shaped piece, topped by a bowl with a flared rim.
This huqqa is crafted from white porcelain and decorated with deep blue and green paintings of stylised floral and foliate motifs. These paintings are finely parcel gilt, creating reflective gold highlights. The base and bowl of the huqqa are further decorated with half-length portraits of the kings of Persia in the Qajar period, Naser al-Din Shah and Mozaffar al-Din Shah. The portraits on the base are set within gilt medallions.
The huqqa is Continental, possibly Russian in origin. It was crafted in the late 19th Century for the Persian market.