What-is-it-Question CLXXII

[dognose]

Two English examples from 1790.



On the left, makers mark 'IA', (sorry there's no images of the marks), and on the right, makers marks of 'IA' and 'KD'. According to my book, they were both assayed at London in 1790.

The one on the left is 9 1/4" (23.5cm) in height and on the right a larger version at 14" (35.6cm).

You have the choice of two different names for these pieces.

Trev.

[dragonflywink]

Thuribles or censers?

~Cheryl

[dognose]

Hi Cheryl,

No, there is no religious connection with these pieces.

Regards Trev.

[dognose]

OK, I guess these pieces were either made for export, or maybe for a special order for someone that perhaps had visited an arab country.

Trev.

[2209patrick]

The reason I know this is because I used to work in a tobacco shop.
These are often called a Hookah (or water pipe).

Pat.

[dognose]

Spot on Pat!

This is what is stated in the book:

Hookah
It was also known as a 'hubble-bubble'. Designed to allow tobacco smoke to be drawn through water and so be cooled before reaching the lips of the smoker. Two extremely rare examples bear the London hallmarks for 1790; each has a silver-gilt fire bowl and cover, with decorative masks pendent from chains while the bell-shaped water reservoir forming the base is of cut-glass.

These were almost certainly made to special order, but there is no reason why less splendid examples should not have been included amongst the many and varied articles made in England during the 18th century specifically directed at the Turkish (Oriental) market.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the makers?

Trev.

[MCB]

Hello Trev and Pat,

Not scale models of up-market hot air balloons designed by the Montgolfier brothers then Trev!

Research so far reveals no KD mark registered for use in London 1790. Might the mark have been made by a Dervish with the name Kevin?

I'm still waiting for new specs Trev (see my admissions of frailty in other posts). Would you draw a big picture of IA please to let me have a go at answering who the maker was? This feeling of being left out at the moment just won't go away.

Please tell me that a hookah is suspended in the air Pat; otherwise why the dangly bits? Can you also throw a light on where the tobacco is and how the user gets to smoke it? When I know how a hookah works I might invest in one. Just as long as I don't have to swing on anything.

Mike

[2209patrick]

Hi Mike.

When I managed a tobacco shop years ago I saw a lot of catalogs that contained these.
Never bought or sold one because in many parts of the United States these were regarded
as drug paraphernalia. People would smoke marihuana with these.

Never having used one myself, I can't give you details on how they worked.

Pat.

[dognose]

Hi Mike,

Unfortunatley that book shows no images of the marks, and like you, I'm drawing a blank as to who the maker would have been. The only fit as far as Grimwade is concerned is Isaac Aaron (1102), who entered marks on the 21st March 1791. Any submissions by him up to the 30th May 1791 would of course carry the 1790 date letter.

Heal offers no real alternative, but a possibility may be someone like John Alderhead, he entered just the one mark back in 1750, but was a well known retailer, I believe, for the rest of the century. Could it be his marks overstriking that of another?

Here is the link to a topic where John Alderhead's trade card can be found: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=18763

and this link shows details of the hookah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

Regards Trev.

[MCB]

Hello again Trev and Pat,

Thanks for your replies.

As to the IA mark we seem, from the other makers mentioned, to be looking for a rectangular shape and the letters have a pellet or a star between them. Jackson's book on page 216 attributes such a mark registered in 1763 to John Ashpinshaw but Grimwade's book doesn't seem to mention it. He was still active in 1772-3 and may have continued beyond 1790. Perhaps one to add to the list of possibles?

The diagram on the Wikipedia site shows that the mystery objects are each just the head of the hookah where the combustion takes place. This sits atop various pipes and a water jar. I won't be buying one.

Regards,
Mike