Opium pipe; China, Qing dynasty, second half of the 19th century.

Opium pipe; China, Qing dynasty, second half of the 19th century.
Bamboo wood, punched silver and bone.
Punched.
Measurements: 61 x 7 x 7 x 7 cm.
Opium pipes, originally from Asia and especially associated with China during the 18th and 19th centuries, are objects of profound historical and cultural value. Designed specifically for vaporizing and consuming opium, these pipes stand out for their technical complexity and elaborate aesthetics.
In the field of collecting, opium pipes occupy a unique place. Beyond their original function, these objects are appreciated as tangible testimonies of an era marked by intense trade, political conflicts such as the Opium Wars and profound social transformations. For collectors, historians and museologists, opium pipes represent not only a manifestation of oriental craftsmanship, but also a way to understand the complex links between consumption, power and culture in the colonial and post-colonial context.
The Chinese method of smoking opium is different from the usual one. It requires the vapors to be distilled in this highly specialized opium bowl, rather than burning the opium itself. When the opium pellet was heated, it was transformed into a dense vapor that was drawn into the bowl through the opening at the top. When the vapors collided with the large compartment inside the bowl, the solid matter precipitated out of the vapor and stuck to the inside of the bowl. This left the pure elements distilled from the opium in vapor form.