19th century Chinese opium pipe with carved bone and bamboo
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
This antique 19th-century Chinese opium pipe is a functional piece featuring a multi-material construction designed for smoking opium. The pipe comprises a long, slender shaft crafted from bamboo, a material historically favored for its natural strength and lightweight properties.
The head of the pipe acts as a chimney and is adorned with a carved bone component, which adds both structural integrity and decorative detail to the object. The overall length of the pipe is 13 inches, providing a comfortable reach for the user. The design balances utility with traditional craftsmanship, utilizing the organic texture of the bamboo stem in contrast with the intricate, light-toned carved bone elements found at the terminal ends.
Such pipes were essential tools in the social and medicinal customs of the period, reflecting the specific artisanal traditions and material availability of 19th-century China. The pipe represents a standard form of historical smoking implements, characterized by its elongated shape and specific combination of natural materials.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Length
- 13 inches
- Materials
- bamboo, carved bone
Technical characteristics
- Type
- opium pipe
Design
- Shaft
- bamboo
- Handle
- carved bone
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.