Antique porcelain huqqa with Naser al-Din Shah painting

The porcelain huqqa (or hookah) features a slightly flared bell-shaped base with a cylindrical ribbed stem. This is topped by a second piece, composed of a knopped stem and a cup-shaped bowl.

The huqqa is crafted from white porcelain and finely painted with stylised deep blue vines, leaves and rosettes. Details of these decorations are parcel gilt, creating reflective gold highlights. The base and bowl also feature half-length portraits of Naser al-Din Shah, the king of Persia in the Qajar period. These are set within gilt medallions. The portraits decorate the front of the base and bowl, while their reverses are painted with depictions of the lion and sun—the symbol of Persia. These images are painted in blue and finely parcel gilt, and they are set within gilt medallions.

This item is of Continental, possibly Russian origin. It was created in the late 19^th Century for the Persian market.