Persian silver hookah

23 April 2024

In France we acquired this miniature water pipe in silver. It shows a water reservoir with six panels connected to two stems, the central stem ends in a pipe bowl, the stem that runs diagonally is the stem to inhale the smoke. Everything about this mini shisha is characteristic of Persia, where they call it a qualian. The decoration shows panels in a beautiful rhythm. Detailed flowers with birds can be seen all around, alternating with a geometric motif against a worked background. This background against which the decoration stands out was obtained by hammering the silver with a mini hollow pipe. With a height of less than twelve centimeters, it is a small but fine object. And it rarely happens: the same week we acquired the object, it was photographed, described and placed in the permanent display in the museum between its larger brothers.

Library refreshed

5 April 2024

Work on the website always continues. This applies to both expansion and improvement. This month is all about the literature section. All covers of the publications in our online library catalog will be pimped and reloaded in a higher resolution. With their brightened colours they now appear fresher. At the same time, we will have an automated system for loading these pictures. This action shows that technology is also constantly innovating. That's great for us behind the scenes, but ultimately it's about the result for the user on the web. Also that result will not remain invisible