Antique Chinese green stone opium pipe
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
17th century - 20th century
This antique Chinese opium pipe features a body crafted from a smooth, jade-green stone, accented with metallic elements. The design incorporates decorative metal fittings, handles, and a metal stick.
The pipe is constructed to accommodate the traditional method of vaporizing opium, which was developed in China during the 17th Century. While traditional opium pipe-bowls were often made of ceramic materials like blue and white porcelain, this example utilizes green stone for the body. The object includes structural metal components that serve as the frame and decorative accents. The overall dimensions of the piece, including the pipe components, are 4 1/4 inches by 3 3/4 inches by 8 1/2 inches.
The construction reflects the historical necessity for removable or modular bowl assemblies, allowing users to scrape away opium ash accumulation after use. This specific example highlights the artisanal approach to opium smoking apparatuses during the period prior to widespread 19th and early 20th-century eradication campaigns.
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
- Material
- green stone, metal
- Dimensions
- 4 1/4 x 3 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches
Technical characteristics
- Function
- vaporizing opium
Design
- Features
- jade green surface, decorative metal handles and accents, metal stick
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.